


Datapad

by lesetoilesnemeurentjamais



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: 0:), Angst, Kylux is my BB, M/M, Phasma Mitaka and the others are minor characters, Translated from French, also this takes places right after TFA, but includes elements from TLJ and TROS, edit: UPDATE EACH WEDNESDAY TIL THE END, had it in mind for 4 years now, i never kill my main characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:35:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22419373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesetoilesnemeurentjamais/pseuds/lesetoilesnemeurentjamais
Summary: As the First Order recovers from the fall of Starkiller, a terrible discovery sends General Hux to hell.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren
Comments: 8
Kudos: 43





	1. Ashes of a Star

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Datapad](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22324216) by [lesetoilesnemeurentjamais](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesetoilesnemeurentjamais/pseuds/lesetoilesnemeurentjamais). 



> Hello there! This story roams in my files for almost four years now. It was more than time to complete it!   
> It takes place a few weeks after The Force Awakens, but I included minor elements from The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. It's a translation from the initial French version I wrote (you can find it on my page). I'll try to post regularly, don't worry! The French version is now complete so I just need time to translate it ;)   
> Enjoy reading!

A FEW WEEKS AFTER STARKILLER'S FALL

_Hux was observing the stars through the transparasteel bay, on the Finalizer’s bridge. The sight was stunning, the thousands of stars seemed to be as many diamonds lying on a night blue velvet. Ordinarily, it was the only activity which could appease him, but today the sky seemed to have lost this power. The general was aware it was probably his last night, because they would arrive in the morning in orbit of the planet which hided Snoke’s citadel. He had failed. Miserably failed. By his fault, Starkiller was now nothing but ashes. And he hadn’t even been able look after Kylo Ren, the supreme leader’s protégé. Kylo Ren who had also been his lover, with whom he had shared so much – a ship, an army, a dream… and how many nights? He had managed to save him just before it was too late, and to bring him back aboard their flagship.  
But the knight was too badly injured and had only survived a few hours. All that Hux would have to offer to Snoke, at his arrival, would be the overwhelming guilt weighting on his frail shoulders. _

_The low sound of the shuttle’s engines stopped, signifying they had landed. While stepping down, the young man barely saw the soldiers on the ground, perfectly aligned in their white armors. He vaguely felt a hand lock on his shoulder to make him move forward, and didn’t even have the reflex to free himself. He gathered the little dignity he still had when he advanced towards the leader. The old creature appeared ridiculously thin and fragile if compared to the hologram Hux was used to see. But a dreadful spark was shining in his black pupils, a pale reflect from what was waiting for the general. Hux knew he didn’t need to explain the extent of his mistakes; Snoke knew everything already. So he closed his eyes, waiting for the punishment which would put an end to his existence. He had nothing to lose anymore: the work he had devoted his life to was in pieces, and he had seen his lover dying in his arms. Compared to what he was feeling, death was an almost sweet perspective, and he didn’t move when he felt the pressure on his throat, neither when the air became scarcer._

Armitage Hux woke up drenched in sweat, shaking and breathing jerky. He straightened up, desperately trying to catch his breath, forcing himself to take a deep breath despite the panic that had gripped him. A rustle next to him startled him, and it took him a few seconds to realize that he was safe in his apartments aboard the Finalizer. Kylo Ren's sleepy voice finally reassured him, and Hux remembered that his lover had been able to join him for a few days, which rarely happened. Most of the time, the knight stayed at the citadel or on the ship of the supreme leader, his training taking all his time. Snoke often held him for days, without them being able to communicate; the waiting hours were torture for the general. Without hesitation, Hux rolled to the side and landed in the arms of his lover, who held him tenderly. The ginger felt the calm return as the knight's warmth was transmitted to his own body. Lost in the middle of this island of sweetness, he finally whispered a shy thank you. 

\- If I had known things went that bad, I would have returned earlier, Kylo softly said in his hear. 

\- I am fine, the ginger answered a bit quickly. Don’t worry about me…

For any answer, Kylo hugged him harder. A silence passed between the two men. 

\- You don’t have any reason to still fear him, Armie… the knight finally said. 

\- I have all the reasons in the world to fear him, Hux whispered. Snoke only waits for an error from me to eliminate me. There won’t be any second chance.

\- What was your dream about, this time?

Hux searched for Kylo’s eyes in the obscurity. 

\- I saw you dying in my arms, he said in a tired voice. And then Snoke killed me. It made me… _happy_. To know that everything was over.

\- It won’t happen. He needs you, he still trusts you… And I am alive, thanks to you. No one will hurt you, I promise…

It wasn’t the first time Hux had such nightmares. Since their precipited arrival at the citadel, these bad dreams had multiplied, showing the death of his lover, the explosion of Starkiller and the general’s humiliation before being executed. The destruction of the base by the Resistance had been full of consequences for the First Order. Not only because a huge number of soldiers and officers had perished, but also because the material losses had been enormous. Hux spent his days – and most of time, an important part of his nights – organizing what remained of men and ships, to help the First Order to quickly stand again.   
To keep their credibility against the rest of the galaxy after the Hosnian system’s destruction. 

The first days had been the worst, because he had had to manage everything in the same time. Staying at Kylo Ren’s side, ruthlessly dismissing anyone who would disturb him. Sending reports across the whole galaxy to mobilize his men and accelerate the formations in the academies as much as in the stormtroopers training camps. And report any amelioration to the supreme leader, without any delay. Hux didn’t count his working hours, motivated by his burning hate against the Resistance and by the equally powerful fear to be pushed aside by Snoke.   
Snoke whom trust was unraveling day after day. The general had been feeling it since he had returned. The contempt in his voice, his insults barely hidden… And above all, this deafening presence in his mind each time he was with him in the audience room, for yet another report, and that the leader would search his thoughts to be sure he wasn’t lying. 

Aboard the shuttle bringing them, him, Kylo Ren and a few men who had been at the good place at the good moment, then aboard the _Finalizer_ crossing the space towards the citadel was located, Hux had imagined the worst. He has feared for Kylo’s life and for his own, and the wait had been unbearable. Fortunately, when they had landed, no squad of stormtroopers had come to stop him. Kylo Ren had been taken care of, and if Snoke had indeed been mad at the general, he mostly continued to give him orders. Hux had done what was said, silently, aware that his efficiency would condition his career – and even his life. He had even took back the command of the _Finalizer_.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t prevent his fears to come and haunt him almost every night. He had programmed his datapad so that he could regularly remember himself that everything was alright. No one knew he has this new habit. But tonight, Kylo Ren was here. And it was worth more than any call to reality. With a light smile, Armitage curled up against his lover to enjoy those rare quiet moments and he fell back asleep, lulled by the regular breathing of the knight. 

___

It was still early in the morning. Or maybe very late, Hux had lost track of time for weeks anyway. The general distractedly greeted a stormtrooper patrol while checking his datapad. The few hours of sleep with his lover had been revigorating, even though they weren’t enough to compensate his lack of sleep recently.   
Kylo had got up earlier and had left their quarters quietly in order not to wake him up. Anyone other than Hux would have appreciated it, but the ginger couldn’t afford to sleep so long when the First Order needed him. He had tried to change the knight’s mind but the latter persisted in letting him rest as long as possible, arguing he really needed it. _Rest. I’ll sleep when I’m dead,_ he thought while stepping up the pace _, and it will arrive soon if I’m late to that meeting…_

___

Hux quickly read his planning again, mentally erasing each meeting he just attended. Twenty-three in total, and he couldn’t take it anymore. As expected, the day had been long, and he was eager to retrieve the warmth of his bed for a few hours. He was reaching the entrance of his personal quarters when a little voice interrupted him. 

\- General Hux!

The ginger immediately identified the quick gait of lieutenant Mitaka on the metallic floor. He turned to face him, trying to erase the tiredness from his face. In vain, because the pallor of his skin and the almost-black circles under his eyes were betraying him. 

\- Yes, lieutenant? 

The young man joined him, greeted him and held him a rectangular object, whose shape looked like it had been flat a long time ago. 

\- Sir, captain Phasma charged me with giving you this. Our teams found it in the shuttle which brought you back, and they said it was yours. 

Hux recognized the datapad he had always with him on Starkiller. Starkiller… that name echoed strangely in his mind. Like a ghost, a memory almost gone and yet painfully recent. He carefully took the object. The metal case was twisted, the screen was cracked. Some pictures of their journey to the citadel came to the general’s mind. Their hasty escape, the in-extremis rescue of Kylo Ren, the burning blast behind them.   
When the shuttle had escaped the torrent of flames that the base had become, Hux had overbalanced. His datapad had clearly suffered from the fall… _Great, we’re two now _, he thought while bitterly looking back on those events.__

__The object was so damaged it was very likely to be irrecoverable. Nevertheless Hux chose to thank Mitake. After all, the young lieutenant had made the effort to come up to here… even if he was obviously exhausted. It made the general think for the thousandth time that the young man would probably have a promising future._ _

__\- Thank you, lieutenant. You may go now. Rest for a few hours. The First Order needs its men to be clear-headed now more than ever._ _

__\- I... Yes, sir._ _

__Mitaka walked away, visibly moved by his superior's attention, and Hux finally entered his chambers. He placed the broken datapad on his desk and couldn't resist to the need to take a shower before checking if it was still working. Excluding Kylo's presence, the feeling of hot water on his skin, and of course the bitter Tarine tea, were his only two comforts after such a day..._ _

__On his return, his gaze fell on the object. Holding back a sigh, Hux sat at his desk and gently pressed what was left of the power button. The datapad began to vibrate alarmingly, and the screen flashed randomly for several seconds before finally displaying the First Order emblem. Careful not to cut himself on the cracks that covered the device, the general quickly navigated to his mailbox. A red icon caught his attention, indicating the presence of several unread reports, and he frowned. The documents appeared to be from Starkiller, and Hux guessed that they were probably the last reports sent before its destruction. Perhaps they even contained explanations of what had really happened..._ _

__Without hesitation, the general began his reading. As the minutes passed, as the lines scrolled before his incredulous eyes, a strange feeling grew inside him. A fear like he had never felt before. He couldn't believe it... these reports called his whole world into question..._ _

__Yet the truth laid out in black letters on the exploded screen of the datapad: that afternoon, shortly before the rebel X-Wings attacked, someone had initiated the procedure of manually deactivating the shields, allowing the Resistance to deadly strike Starkiller. Someone who knew the security codes to access the control room. A member of the First Order. One of them._ _

__Hux felt his heart stop beating as he thought about what awaited him if Snoke found out._ _


	2. Only if I have to

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starkiller's shields have been manually deactivated. Hux prays not to let this information out in front of Snoke.

Hux was desperately trying to hide his anxiety while crossing the huge corridors of his ship. With clenched fists, struggling not to sink his nails into his palms, not to shake, struggling to keep the impassibility on his face, he knew that his future - and probably even his life - were at stake. Snoke had just summoned him for his daily report. And if officially it was only to be about supplies, food and the development of the new weapons of the First Order, the general knew very well that at some point he would have to confess to the leader what he had discovered the day before. If he didn't, Snoke would read it into his mind anyway, as he had become accustomed to do. 

So he came into the courtroom with a tight throat. After one last breath to give himself courage, he finally decided to enter. Snoke's hologram was already standing in the middle of the room, dominating it from its height. Hux walked up to him, looked up. 

\- General, the creature's distorted voice growled. I've been waiting for you.   
\- I... my apologies, supreme leader," said Hux, hating the almost imperceptible tremor in his voice.

It was useless to invent a pretext, though. There was no way to hide anything from the leader. 

\- I’m listening, Snoke continued. Where are you with what we talked about? 

Hux gathered all his concentration to keep calm when he recognized the pressure in his mind. Snoke usually stayed at the surface. But from time to time he would get deeper into the general's thoughts. _That can’t happen today_ , the ginger couldn't help but think, anxious of the consequences. 

He had learned to be a soldier since childhood. By leading. To be impressive by his mere presence. His men respected him, feared him. Despite everything, every time he was confronted with Snoke - and especially since the fall of Starkiller, actually - he felt like the child he had been on Arkanis again. Weak and useless. At least that's what his father had told him, again and again. He shook his head to chase away these ideas.

\- Our teams are making progress. Supplies in the Actar sector are going on successfully, the population has ceased to be hostile.

In fact, the deployment of several battalions of troopers had most certainly played a role in the sudden cooperation of the natives. But only the result counted. And Hux had orders.

\- And about the building of the new ships, we pursue our agreements with Sienar-Jaemus Fleet Systems and Kuat Entralla Engineering, he continued with as much confidence as possible. The new models of TIE fighters will be ready in the next few weeks. I also personally checked the advancement of the work on our autocanons, and they’ll soon equip our ships. In particular, the Mandator IV destroyers will be operational very soon. 

_And in front to such machines, the Resistance won’t have any chance_ , Hux thought while trying to ignore the unpleasant feeling of having Snoke in his head. _They’ll pay for the destruction of Starkil… no, don’t think about it, don’t…_

His eyes met those of the leader for a second. A fatal one. The pressure under his forehead grew stronger. 

\- The failure of Starkiller will soon be nothing but a bad memory? Snoke growled. 

The heart of the young general began to race. _I must not lose control. No…_ But it was too late already. The pain exploded in his head, while the leader was discovering what happened. Hux almost lost his balance but found in extremis the strength to stand firm. 

When he finally raised his head, he only discovered the fury distorting Snoke’s face. 

\- Your uselessness is appalling, General, he said in a dangerously icy tone. Just as you pretention. You radiated fear since your first step in this room. Did you really think you could hide those information from me?

Before Hux could even answer, Snoke continued:

\- Incompetence is one thing. I did let you a chance, General. But treason...  
\- Supreme leader, I’m not… 

Hux was aware that justifying him had no sense. But he needed to recall that he was not responsible of what had happened. The men on Starkiller were – or rather, had been – under his command. But wasn't he busy organizing the defense of the base at that time? And later, rescuing Kylo Ren on the orders of the leader himself?

\- Enough! Snoke cut in. 

The huge hologram stood up, and a wave of his hand was enough to throw Hux to the ground. The general grinned as he felt his lower lip split under the shock, and he tried to get up - but Snoke was using Force to hold him down, and each movement only tightened the invisible net that held him prisoner. 

\- Remind me again who is in charge of the stromtrooper training program?   
\- Myself, Supreme Leader, resigned Hux.   
\- You have taken over your father’s ideas, if I remember well? 

Hux nodded. It was the only valuable thing that his father had left behind him. Even if he hated when someone pointed it. 

\- According to this ideas, your soldiers are more reliable, more capable, than the clones from the Imperial era. You’ve told us that, General, haven’t you? 

The ginger nodded again. He often had this conversation with Kylo Ren. Brendol Hux was an asshole. But an asshole with good ideas. 

\- My men are exceptionally trained. Programmed from birth, he defended himself in a last burst of pride.  
\- Silence! Snoke roared. 

Hux couldn't hold back a cry of pain when lightning struck him, throwing him a few meters away. He cowered on the cold slabs, his body trembling, now truly terrified of the leader's power. 

\- Tell me, General. How many men were on board, when the explosion occured? 

Now Snoke looked like a cat ready to finish his prey off. And Hux wasn’t comfortable at all in the role of the mouse. He didn’t find anything to answer, overwhelmed by those painful memories. Too many men had perished. At first, he had taken the responsibility for this. Then he had retargeted his hatred on those Resistance scum.   
Snoke leaned forward, and Hux felt more vulnerable and humiliated than ever. 

\- I’ll give you an answer, General. Many. Far too much for us to have any chance of finding the culprit. But it doesn't matter who it was. You were in command of those men. That makes you responsible for this treason. 

The images of his recent nightmares danced in Hux's mind for a moment, and terror took over. 

\- I decided to trust you despite your failure with FN 2187. It seems I was wrong. This will have been my last mistake, General.

Hux could not help but close his eyes as he felt the Force exerting its grip on him, more and more until he could no longer breathe. Was it all going to end now? He thought of Ren, and prayed silently for Snoke to end it quickly. He didn't want to suffer any more.

That's when the door behind him opened. The general recognized Kylo's heavy footsteps resonating on the metal floor.

\- Supreme Leader, what's going on? asked the knight as he kneeled down to greet his mentor. 

Hux was relieved to know he was so close. He couldn't see him from where he was, but his mere presence reassured him, and he could easily guess the worried look of his lover on him, as he had detected the anger barely concealed in his voice. Ren had promised him that he would not let anyone hurt him. Especially not Snoke.

\- We're done for today, Mr. Hux, the leader whistled. 

Hux felt his heart squeeze as he noted the absence of his rank. He thought bitterly that death would probably have been sweeter than this final humiliation.  
The invisible weight that still held him against the floor disappeared, like an incitation to leave the room. Hux did not ask for help. He swallowed the tears that came to him and got up quickly, before leaving the courtroom in a hurry, ignoring Kylo Ren's motionless silhouette, as well as the pain still present in his limbs, the blood on his lips and the ragged locks of hair on his forehead.

___

Hux was nervously playing with his datapad, unable to focus on anything. The catastrophic meeting with Snoke occupied his whole mind. He was wondering what would happen now. What would his future here be. Did the leader only threaten him to make him react or… no, he preferred forgetting the last hypothesis. 

The burning sensation caused by the lightning had not disappeared despite the hours that had passed, not to mention the unpleasant headache that had set in since his unexpected encounter with the courtroom floor. And the prospect of losing his rank was driving him crazy. It was unfair, and painful. The First Order meant everything to him, and had always meant! But worse than that, and he hated to admit it... Hux was afraid. Snoke hadn't just _threatened_ him. He had nearly killed him.

The general was startled when the door to his quarters opened suddenly. He stood up, ready to defend himself if necessary. He was surprised to discover the masked figure of Kylo Ren before him.

\- Kylo? he said. What the hell is...  
\- You're leaving. Now, the knight replied.  
\- What's going on? asked Hux in a voice where concern was perceptible.

He stepped towards his lover. 

\- Snoke will kill you. He sent me here so that I can bring you to him.   
\- He can’t… Hux said, under the shock. 

Those words reminded them his worst nightmares. That could not happen. Not now… the panic caused a flood of bile to rise in his throat and he had to hold it in so he wouldn't vomit.

\- He needs me! He tried to convince himself.   
\- Armitage, the perpetuation of the First Order means less to him than staying in power, Kylo explained.  
\- If the First Order disappears, he won’t have left much to rule over, the General replied feverishly.   
\- He needs an example. He wants to show we’re still strong; enough to do without a General. And also, he will show he’s ruthless. How could he let the responsible of the loss of Starkiller live? 

Hux restrained himself from saying he was primarily responsible of the _creation_ of Starkiller. 

\- I can’t, he said instead, in a suddenly very calm voice. The First Order is all my life. My destiny. I can’t flee now. 

He shook his head. Despite his fear, despite what Snoke had already done to him – their last encounter was unfortunately only an example, certainly more advanced than the leader's usual treatment, but a simple example nonetheless - he could not bring himself to turn his back on his convictions. All the more so since he already knew who would take his place, and this idea was unbearable. General Enric Pryde. Former Imperial officer, former friend of his father. Hux hated him as much as he hated his genitor. 

\- I have nowhere to go, Kylo. I am responsible for the acts of the men under my command. Stakiller’s shields have been deactivated from the inside… No matter who did it, I must take the responsibility.   
\- Armie, that wasn’t a question, the knight continued, softer, but there was still tension on his voice. We don’t have much time. He probably knows where I am already, and what is going on. You must leave.   
\- I can’t… Hux repeated, thinking that leaving also meant leaving his lover behind him, and this was not acceptable. 

Kylo stepped forward, almost enough to touch him. 

\- Listen to me. The First Order needs you, but Snoke only manipulates you. I… talked with him, after you left the courtroom. I tried to make him understand. You saved my life, Armie. Just for that… 

He stopped. How could he announce the General that Snoke did not believe in him, that he was only seeing him as a rabid cur, according to his own words, a cur whom weakness properly manipulated could be a sharp tool ? How could he tell him without hurting him even more ? Kylo could not find out. 

The leader refused to listen. And his anger had turned towards his apprentice. He had hurt him, both physically and morally. He had insulted him, humiliated him, treating him as a child, doubting about his powers, his abilities, his judgement. He had seen in him what pushed the knight to defend Hux so sharply. But he did not regret. He had seen more. He could resist.   
That had not been enough to save Hux from Snoke, though. He had finally ordered the General’s execution, before it was too late. So Kylo Ren had took a decision, while leaving the courtroom to get Hux. 

\- He’s not the leader you’re seeking to follow, he finally said. Your men trust you. They appreciate you, they respect you, but they never saw the face or Snoke neither heard his voice. Who will they follow if you ask? A ghost, or their General?   
\- What are you trying to tell me? Hux whispered. 

The knight ignored the question. 

\- I contacted Lieutenant Mitaka. He accepted to help. For you. He got an Upsilon shuttle ready. Bay 34. I am not asking you to flee, Armie… only to keep you safe. 

He took a break, hesitated, and then added:

\- Until I’m done with him. 

Hux remained silent for a moment, just enough to measure the weight of this statement. 

\- Kylo, you’re…   
\- I have to go and complete my training. Snoke is playing with us from the beginning. It is time for a new order to rise. I know what I do, I just need you to trust me… It will take time, but I want you to be safe until then. Please, go… we don’t have more time!

He looked over the door, as if waiting for a threat to come.

\- What about you? the General asked. Snoke will know you helped me. What if he guesses that…   
\- He won’t kill me, Kylo affirmed. He can replace a General – he has dozens of officers just waiting for the opportunity. But he can’t afford to take a new apprentice. He’s been training me for a long time, he doesn’t have enough time to start again, especially not while we’re in the middle of a crisis. And he won’t know. With time, I learnt how to hide some of my intentions. Don’t worry about me.

The General nodded in silence. As painful it was to admit it, the knight was right. 

\- Armie… No matter the coordinates you’re going to enter in your ship, no matter where you’ll go, I’ll find you. No matter how long it will take or how long Snoke will hold me. I’ll go back for you and I will give you the rank you deserve. I promise. 

Without another word, Kylo approached and hugged him briefly, giving him his warmth one last time. Hux hated the cold, metallic touch of the helmet in his hair. He would have liked to look his lover in the eyes, before leaving maybe forever, but he said nothing. Instead, he whispered, clenching his teeth:

\- Let's go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget I love Armie no matter what happens ♥ Now where will he go? What will happen? Answers in the next chap, coming soon!   
> Don't hesitate to comment or leave a kudo if you like this story! Thank you for reading me, see you soon!   
> (Also, really sorry if you find mistakes in the text, I'm not an English native so...)


	3. The salty taste of blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pushed by Kylo, Hux resolves to flee aboard an Upsilon shuttle.

Later he would remember this scene perfectly, each detail printed in his memory with a disconcerting precision. But for now, the world seemed blurred to Hux. He let Kylo guide him towards the take-off bays, as straight as possible, as usual. As if nothing had changed. That was strange to act like this. To be ready to see his cracked world shatter, while the others knew nothing about it. 

To the entire crew, he was still General Armitage Hux. To him… he would have time to think about it, but he felt like he was not really himself anymore. Rather a kinf of ghost, trapped in reality, a spirit who was denied the afterlife because he had still something to complete here. 

Even the incessant ballet of departing shuttles and stromtroopers patrols wasn’t as familiar as usual. It was Kylo’s voice which drew him away from his sinister thoughts. 

\- They’re here. 

In front of them, an Upsilon shuttle was ready to takeoff, all lights lit. 

\- And they’re only wait for you. 

Phasma and Mitaka stood at the foot of the already-deployed bridge. The silver-armored captain moved first. Without knowing exactly why, Hux found something different in her posture. 

\- General, she greated him, while even the vocoder in her helmet couldn’t hide a kind of… regret in her voice. 

\- Captain. 

\- I’m sorry, she whispered, and Hux immediately understood. 

A member of the First Order who was likely to have access to the control room of Starkiller. Someone he trusted in. Who? The answer was obvious now.   
Phasma. 

Phasma, who was aboard when the attack occurred. Hux hadn’t seen her when he had crossed the base to report to Snoke about the disastrous situation. Phasma, who knew the access codes, as an officer – not all of them had this privilege, but Hux had made an exception for her, because he trusted her. Phasma, who miraculously survived, when so many other had lost their lives in the final explosion.   
_I understand. She must have cooperated with the rebels. Give them access to the shields, allow their fighters to come in. And they let her live in exchange of her treason…_

More than the urge of the situation, than the perspective to let everything he had believed in and he loved behind, Hux was devastated by this piece of news. And so he had lost everything. Even his oldest allies. He put his hand on his thigh, to which he had strapped his blaster before leaving, but Kylo stopped him by putting his hand on his arm. 

\- General, Phasma resumed hastily, I'm sorry. The rebels took me by surprise, and out of fear I was unable to sacrifice myself. I could have called the guard instead of disabling the shields. Or let them kill me.   
But I couldn't. I failed in my mission, and the thought of being responsible for this disaster fills me with hatred. I will give my life to the First Order to make amends. Nothing will distract me from our goals now! 

\- I have probed his mind, Kylo whispered low enough for only Hux to hear. She speaks the truth. Her actions are regrettable, but it's too late. Let the past die. All that matters now is your survival.

The general relaxed, suddenly very tired.

\- Captain, I don’t care of your mistakes. I need you there, aboard the _Finalizer_. You and the rest of the crew will take orders from lord Ren while I’m away. Assure an efficient command, give the Order his supremacy, and we shall definitely destroy the Resistance. 

He looked at Mitaka, aware that time was running out. 

\- As for you, Lieutenant… Thank you. It seems I owe you my life, and I’ll remember this. The First Order needs you as much as I trust you. You are a promising element. Don’t get killed…

The little lieutenant nodded, moved by those words. Finally, Hux gazed at his lover. He didn’t need words to express his feelings. Heartbreak, anxiety, and maybe a tiny spark of hope. _I love you. And you’d better come for me, Kylo Ren, because I’ll wait for you._

\- The shuttle is ready, sir, Phasma announced. 

Without adding a single word, Hux boarded the ship. 

___

\- Kriff, kriff, kriff! Hux swore when the first green ray brushed them. 

The pilot of the Upsilon skillfully dodged, and the general swore again, almost falling because of the maneuver. 

\- Deflector screens raised, engines at full capacity, he ordered. 

One of the officers hastily activated several controls on his console.

On the control screen, the shuttle changed from red to blue, indicating that the shields were activated. However, the dozen or so dots of light behind the shuttle were not good news. 

\- Prepare to jump to hyperspace, Hux growled. 

\- Sir, there are many of them. Going to light speed now is suicide, alerted the pilot.

\- Then shoot them down! The ginger barked. 

The men looked at each other for a moment. From what Kylo had explained to the general on their way to the bay, Phasma had selected the crew herself, assuring them that their mission was of the utmost importance. But none of them had expected to have to fire on their own fighters. Hence their hesitation. And Hux was alone against them. Although he had the trust and respect of his troops, the general was well aware that in the current situation, he looked more like a deserter than anything else. Besides, he didn't have Kylo Ren on his side as a persuasive argument. 

\- Sir, these are TIE fighters, hesitated one of the officers, and Hux wished for a second to possess Ren's powers to strangle him from a distance. 

\- Do as I say! They're shooting at us! he grew impatient.

He counted quickly. His men were four. All more dedicated to flying and trajectory calculations than to combat. But they were no less armed, and if they decided not to follow his orders, or worse, to rebel against him, Hux would have very little chance of getting out of it. 

\- That's an order, he whistled. Shoot them down. They mustn't hit us.

___

Phasma stormed into the control room of hangar 34, aboard the Finalizer. A dozen TIEs had taken off just after Upsilon, and their intentions were clearly not peaceful. 

\- Recall the fighters immediately, she said without bothering to explain. 

\- Captain, this shuttle was not registered on our flight lists and did not respond to our summons. We are therefore forced to destroy it, according to procedure, replied one of the officers in charge.

\- General Hux is on board, Phasma replied coldly. Destroy it and I will personally oversee your execution.

The threat seemed to work. The officer pressed the intercom button, waited a few seconds... and finally turned to his superior, lighter than snow on Starkiller:

\- The... the communication system is not working, Captain. They're out of range.

___

The TIE fighters continued to roar behind them while bombarding them with laser beams that crashed into the deflectors. But keeping the shields up was a major drain on energy. An expense they couldn't afford.   
Hux's last order had been followed by a leaden silence, and the young general had immediately understood that things were going to be more complicated than expected. He could almost read the word "traitor" in the eyes of his men, and he thought briefly about what would become of the First Order in his absence. How Ren, Phasma and Mitaka would rally the crew to their cause. Even then, the _Finalizer_ was only a small part of their army... However, he quickly put the thought out of his mind and concentrated on the present moment. 

Hux had no choice if he wanted to survive. He drew his blaster and fired. 

___

Kneeling before Snoke, bent in half under the pain, Kylo Ren tried to concentrate on the Force to see his lover, but he could only perceive vague, distant emotions. The rage of those who carry out orders, the fear of those who are about to die, the cold, calm determination of someone who is about to kill.

\- He ran away and you helped him in this betrayal! the supreme leader shouted.

The knight did not answer right away. He was proud of this little rebellion against his master. There was something exhilarating about it... acting on his own will and not on Snoke's orders. He had never realized it before, but now his relationship with the leader reminded him the one he'd had with Luke years before. Both of them only wanted to use him, and his power, to serve their cause. But it would all be over soon.

\- General Hux is one of our best officers and you ordered his death! he replied fiercely.

\- I am the one giving the orders, Kylo Ren, whistled Snoke as he sent another discharge to his apprentice. 

Kylo held back a scream. He suspected it was only the beginning of the leader's revenge, but he was not afraid. The strength of his bond with Hux would keep him going. He drew from their relationship enough to ignore the suffering that was gripping his entire body. He had promised him that he would come back for him, and he would keep that promise.

\- The Supremacy is in orbit above the citadel. Have the _Finalizer_ on its way to us. It's time to complete your training, Snoke scolded. 

And the hologram faded after one last menacing glance, letting Kylo catch his breath, the hatred burning hotter than ever in his veins. 

___

Hux took a second to lean against the cockpit wall, short of breath. He let his weapon fall to the ground, on which it bounced and then came to rest. The smell of blood filled the atmosphere and made his head spin. 

_They left me no choice >/i>, he tried to convince himself. In vain. He was sickened by the thought of having slaughtered his own men in that way. He'd done much worse, though, at the Academy. His father had trained him to kill from an early age. To learn. He saw in a flash the terrified gaze of his very first victim. He was only five. _A soldier has no feelings_ , the general recited to himself to calm down. General?   
No, after what he'd just done, he didn't feel he deserved that title anymore. That was different from the Academy. There was no more training, no more obligation. No more punishment, no beatings, no shame. This gesture made him what he had refused to be since his departure: a traitor. _

_A dull shock against the hull and a brutal jolt brought him back to reality. _The fighters._ The former general rushed to the controls, praying that he'd kept the remains of his flying lessons at the Academy. One look confirmed that the shields would not hold much longer. _Kriff_. He settled somehow into the pilot's seat, shaken by the violent movements of his battered ship, and engaged the laser cannons. Immediately, one of the TIEs behind him exploded. Nevertheless, the shuttle was not built for combat. It was already a miracle that it lasted that long..._

_Hux turned to dodge a deadly burst of rays. Two of his pursuers collided, decorating the sky with flaming clouds for a few seconds. While continuing to avoid enemy fire, the former general started the hyperdrive and entered the coordinates of the first planet on the Outer Rim that came to his mind. He'd be safe there. If he could get reach it. _I'm almost there_ , he encouraged himself. Unfortunately for him, it was at that moment that one of the TIEs managed to hit the shield generator. A dozen of warning messages started flashing on his screen in bright red letters, and the alarm began to resonate in the cabin when a second shot damaged the hull. An unpleasant smell of melt cables invaded the cockpit. _

_\- Come on! Hux grunted to the shuttle. It's now or never!_

_Outside, the remaining TIEs continued to bombard him. And no matter how hard he tried, the situation was becoming more critical each second._

_As a beam hit the right wing of his aircraft, the hyperspace light turned green. Without hesitation, the former general threw himself on the command, and the damaged Upsilon jumped forward, disappearing from enemy screens at the same time._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Though shaken by the decisions made during his desperate escape, Hux will have to survive while waiting for Ren's return. Will the First Order go after him? Will it arrive at its destination in one piece? Will Ren begin his training? The answer next Sunday in Chapter 4!  
> Feel free to send me your feelings on this beginning of the story ;) Thanks for following me ♥ see you soon!


	4. Second chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After slaughtering his crew and escaping from his pursuers, Hux heads to the planet Eriadu in a badly damaged shuttle. Will he reach his goal before his ship drops? Meanwhile, Kylo Ren is making a painful decision.

Kylo and Phasma were standing on the main platform aboard the _Finalizer_ , walking at a slow pace among the busy officers working to prepare the destroyer for its exit from hyperspace. The knight had made a point of spending his last minutes aboard here, because it was Hux’s favorite place on his beloved ship. He knew how the former General appreciated the sight across the large transparasteel bays, and how he loved the feeling of being with his men to lead them. From here, he felt invicible and he loved that.  
\- Captain, I give you the command of the _Finalizer_ , Ren said. . It is possible that the Supreme Leader will decide otherwise, after my departure. But the ship must absolutely remain ours. Absolutely.  
\- Sure, lord Ren, Phasma replied in her feminine voice. Do you know when you will come back?  
Kylo shook his head. He had no idea. Even Snoke had probably no idea. He wouldn’t release him until his apprentice was ready. Too many different factors were involved for him to estimate a date.  
\- I trust you. You will assure everything happens as decided, he replied simply.  
The captain in silver armor nodded.  
\- Lord Ren, the Finalizer will drop out of hyperspace in seven minutes, an officer warned.  
\- Prepare my fighter, he ordered in response.  
Exactly seven minutes later, the star landscape suddenly froze around the huge destroyer, and the sublight thrusters shut down with a low sound. Kylo immediately recognized the imposing ship that had just appeared in front of them. The flagship of Snoke himself. The only one in its class, larger than any destroyer ever conceived, as suggested its name: _Supremacy_.  
And the knight recognized just as quickly the grey-green color of the planet behind the _Supremacy_... He hated this place for the hours he had spent there, or rather he had spent in the citadel, either locked in the dark to either learn how to concentrate his energy or locked in one of the training rooms to fight again and again, ignoring the fatigue, the pain all over his body, the punishments when Snoke thought he wasn’t strong enough. And most of all, he hated this place that separated him from Hux for far too long each time.  
But this would be the last time.  
The next minute, the knight's Silencer TIE took off, roaring, to join the leader at the heart of his dark citadel.  
___  
At the same time, several hundred parsecs away, Hux was in a very bad position. He hadn't even taken advantage of the impressive spectacle of the Upsilon's race through space, the sight of the blue rays with their changing reflections through the cockpit window. A sight that still fascinated him, even after years of service on various ships as he rose through the ranks of the First Order.  
Instead, he had measured the extent of the damage inflicted on the shuttle by the First Order's TIE fighters. He had a particular problem with the ones on the right wing. The fire had damaged much of the outer surface, and it continued to disintegrate, leaving tiny fragments behind. According to the former general's estimates, there was one in two chances that the wing would completely come off when they came out of hyperspace, and in that case he would have no chance of surviving. The other possibility was that it would resist long enough to penetrate the atmosphere, allowing it to crash somewhere. Which wasn't by no means more encouraging.  
To take his mind off it, Hux gathered in his memory everything he knew about his destination. He had chosen the planet Eriadu. Located in the Outer Rim, on the trade route to Corellia, it had long been an important world. Under the domination of the Galactic Empire, Eriadu had even been home to one of the largest industrial centers in the galaxy, producing enough to supply the majority of businesses. Not to mention its huge shipyards, mainly military and imperial, but as famous as those of Sluis Van. These shipyards also served as a research centre and many of the best engineers and technicians in the service of the Empire worked there.  
After Vader's betrayal and the death of Palpatine, when the Republic had re-conquered many imperial planets - including Arkanis, and Hux remembered very clearly that his hatred of the rebels had began the day he and his family had to abandon everything to flee - Eriadu had curiously resisted. And if she was now just a small, somewhat neglected planet, at least she was in the hands of the First Order.  
Hux wouldn't have to hide from the resistance here. On the other hand, he hoped that Snoke hadn't given orders for his capture or even announced his desertion, which wasn't really one. If someone recognized him, he wouldn't be able to get away with it like he had a few hours earlier.  
And assuming he made it that far, he would have to figure out how to justify his crash landing, and the fact that he was the only survivor of a crew ostensibly massacred with the blaster. An alert on the instrument panel indicated that the shuttle would be exiting hyperspace in less than a minute. At least Hux would soon be fixed.  
___  
Not only did it bring back a lot of unpleasant memories in Kylo Ren, but the planet had a terrible climate. The citadel was located on a huge plain and was battered by extremely violent winds, making the approach maneuvers much more complex. This represented a relatively effective first defence in the event of enemy intrusion, but for the time being the knight didn't care much about it. He wasn't an enemy, being here was far from enchanting him, except for the prospect of being able to finish off Snoke, and on top of that all the elements seemed to be united against him to prevent him from landing. Nevertheless, he managed to land his TIE Silencer on the platform halfway up the main tower.  
Barely on the ground, Kylo felt the Snoke presence in his mind intensify. He was already somewhere inside, waiting more or less patiently for his apprentice to arrive, calling out to him, encouraging him with a kind of darkness that slowly diffused inside him to the rhythm of the pulses of their connection. The knight smiled. He shall wait a bit longer. The leader had no idea how ready he was. No idea...  
Before leaving his ship, Kylo closed his eyes and focused on the Force in search of Hux. When he finally found him, the former general's shuttle was exiting hyperspace.  
___  
Eriadu materialized just in front of the damaged Upsilon, but Hux did not linger on his grayish silhouette dotted with small golden lights. The security alarms had been more or less discreet during the passage at light speed, but the exit from hyperspace seemed to have reactivated them all. The former general took a look at his right wing, which seemed to be holding up. For the moment. He quickly checked that his harness was properly adjusted, and launched the engines towards the planet's surface.  
Fingers clenched on the controls, Hux felt the tension increase throughout his body as Eriadu grew larger in front of him. At last he entered the atmosphere. Immediately, the ship began to shake in the heat. A new alarm came on top of the others, and a warning message flashed across the screens. Heat shield damaged. Damage estimated at 43%. The former general ignored the warning. Getting fried like a sausage on Mustafar was as good an ending as any, and if he didn't concentrate a little he was going to end up flat as a pancake in the middle of nowhere anyway.  
_Heat shield damaged_ , repeated the synthetic voice of his onboard computer. _Damage estimated at 52%. The critical threshold will be reached in 8%._ Hux ragingly hit the nearest loudspeaker to silence the unbearable voice. He didn't need to be reminded how he was going to die.  
At that very moment, there was an almost imperceptible cracking sound on the outside, and suddenly the wing disappeared completely.  
\- Kriff, kriff, kriff, kriff, Hux swore as the shuttle began to tilt to the right.  
He violently straightened the aircraft and maintained his approach to the ground. He was now drenched in sweat from the stress and heat of entering the atmosphere. _Only a few seconds left,_ he thought. _Only..._  
___  
When Hux emerged from the darkness, one thing immediately imposed itself upon him. It was hot. Much too hot. As if he was in the middle of an inferno, something suffocating, stifling, all the more so because the air was saturated with the smell of burnt metal and melted cables. This mixture pushed him to try to struggle for fresh air. That's when a second thing hit him: the pain in his left shoulder, unexpected and so strong that points of light danced in front of his eyes and he thought he was plunging back into the night. He assumed it was dislocated. Lucky for him, at least he could heal her later. When he got out of that hellhole.  
Forcing himself to stay awake, the general looked around feverishly. The Upsilon's cockpit had shattered into pieces at the time of the crash, throwing its thousands of sharp shards in all directions. A draught was rushing through the opening. It wasn't big enough for Hux to get through, but by clearing the rest of the transparasteel, he had a chance to get through. Behind him the engines had caught fire and the fire was spreading in his direction.  
Hux clenched his teeth and held back a cry of pain as he moved again, crawling as best he could towards the exit. Every movement he made was reflected in his wounded arm, but he managed to pull himself out of the ship's hull before the fire reached him. Once outside, he moved reasonably far away from the burning shuttle, using his still-valid arm to drag himself across the ground, and allowed himself a few long seconds to catch his breath. He was alive. Far from the _Finalizer_ , far from Kylo Ren, and with no way back. But alive. With that thought, he sank again.  
___  
Through the Force, Kylo felt General Hux's tension as he struggled to land the Upsilon that was leaving in pieces. He tapped into his energy to wrap his lover in a soothing shield, and to steer the aircraft on its final run to the ground. He barely managed to brake the shuttle to prevent it from exploding when it hit the ground, but he couldn't prevent the crash. Despite his efforts, he could do nothing to keep the general conscious, and he felt him leave as the ship touched down.  
Gently, the knight dispelled the bubble of force around Hux. There was one last thing he had to do before entering the citadel. Kylo closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _I'll be back, Armie. I promise you that. I won't leave you._ And he cut himself off from his lover in the Force.  
___  
\- ...First Order unt'er uunti...  
\- Lhe sootha asarec. Wi elho' atal...  
\- Sh. Lhe drak aand.  
Hux had regained consciousness a few moments earlier. But his martial instinct had told him not to show it. Listening could always be useful, especially in his situation. Even if the people in front of him spoke a language completely incomprehensible.  
He quickly recalled recent events: his hasty departure, the crash on Eriadu, the Upsilon fire. Mentally, he checked each of his limbs to make sure that he was not further injured. This rapid assessment reassured him, as he detected no other serious injuries. However, the pain had not gone away. It had simply gone from sudden and violent to a kind of haze, spreading all over his arm and down his back. Whoever those people were around him, they had probably put his shoulder back in place.  
And he was tied up. Securely, but in a way that allowed him to breathe properly. That was something already. The former general opened his eyes when he heard the dialogue had stopped.  
Three people were leaning over him. He looked out of the corner of his eye at the place he was in: dark but warm, with visibly soft walls, like a kind of tent. It was almost devoid of any furniture except for a sort of coffee table that supported a tray, a carafe and glasses. Broken, they would be an acceptable weapon. Assuming it could free himself. Hux turned his attention to his improvised jailers. A woman and two men, simply dressed. At first glance, they were unarmed. They didn't seem hostile either. Distrustful, to the limit.  
\- Lhe saadha tekar.  
\- Arwi'l elo. Tika?  
The second man walked to the table after this short exchange. He poured a liquid into one of the glasses and brought it carefully in front of Hux. The color vaguely reminded him of the herbal beverages of his homeworld. The man knelt down in front of him and pretended to help him drink, but Hux sharply turned his head away. No one could make him swallow this stuff against his will. A second attempt resulted in the glass falling. The liquid spilled on the floor, and the man got up, visibly annoyed.  
\- Krarr eka lhe, he scolded before leaving the tent.  
The woman followed him after a dark glance at the prisoner. Hux ignored her and turned his attention to the only man who had remained inside. He looked perfectly calm: no trace of irritation or fear disturbed his scarred face.  
\- That's the way you deal with your hosts, he said quietly as he approached.  
Hux tickled as he recognized the language used. Arkanisian. It had been a long time since he had heard anyone speak this almost forgotten dialect.  
\- Where did you learn this language? he growled while ignoring the previous remark.  
\- We all have our little secrets... General, replied the man with a smile that did not amuse him at all.  
Armitage was startled. How did he know?  
\- A ship of the First Order in ashes, a crew in uniform... and no offense, but you are quite recognizable, General, the man made as if he had read his thoughts, and without letting go of his smile. But rest assured, I won't say anything. No one here will say anything.  
\- Who are you?  
\- My name is Pakran. The rest isn't very important, but if you insist, you may consider me the head of this village.  
This man's sympathetic, though rather convincing, demeanor didn't satisfy Hux. After all, he was alone on an unknown planet. His training and experience had made him suspicious. And being tied up obviously didn't help. So we might as well get to the point.  
\- What do you want me to do?  
\- Me? Nothing.  
Pakran knelt down to look into the general's eyes...  
\- I merely came to tell you that you were free to stay. Or to leave, once I'm certain you won't try to kill me or my villagers as soon as I untie you.  
Hux isn't saying anything. The thought had already crossed his mind.  
\- Everyone you meet here has a story of their own. Some of them have come by choice. Some came by chance. They all chose to make a new start. Think of this place as a second chance, General.  
\- What about the First Order?  
\- They leave us in peace. For the time being at least. They only requisition part of the camp from time to time; nothing insurmountable. On the other hand, the Resistance has no interest in the Outer Rim and does not quarrel with the forces of the First Order stationed here. You will be safe.  
Armitage didn't like the idea. But he had no other option.  
\- They don't like me.  
\- You don't like them either. And you haven't done anything to make them like you, so far. Yet these people saved your life... and they will continue to reach out to you unless you remain in your shell of mistrust and contempt for them.  
\- I guess I have no choice. Wounded, with no ship to go back to, and with patrols everywhere, I'm stuck here.  
\- You still have the option of enlisting in the shipyards. They always need people. You of all people should know that better than I do...  
Hux wrinkled his nose. That option was even worse. Pakran's smile widened.  
\- I see we're in agreement. One thing before I release you...  
He got up and got rid of his coat and handed it to the general.  
\- To hide you. My people won't talk, but if you want to be discreet, it's better to hide your hair.  
A few handfuls of seconds later, Hux found himself free, alone, with his coat between his arms. The sun was beating heavily on the tent walls, and he almost regretted not having accepted the drink he had been offered earlier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, Hux survived one more chapter :3 yippee! What do you think he's gonna do now? What about Ren?  
> See you next week for a new chapter! Until then, feel free to come and discuss in the comments ;)  
> Sorry for the delay ahah my weeks are full these days and I didn't have the time ^^


	5. Parallels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux finds refuge in a lost village on Eriadu. Ren begins his training.

When he resurfaced, Kylo Ren was ready. Cutting himself from Armitage had been strangely easy, like cutting a thin wire. Easy but painful. For years, he had clung to their bond during his training sessions with Snoke, with the Knights of Ren, and during his distant missions. Every night, he made sure to check on his lover's whereabouts, wrapping him in a bubble of Force to give him a little warmth. Burying this bond deep inside his mind had hurt him. Not feeling the General's presence anywhere, even far away, hurt him. As if he had disappeared forever. 

However, it was a necessary pain. In his upcoming training, who knew what Snoke would do to him. The knight could not afford, in a moment of weakness, to divulge to the supreme leader where the general was, nor who his accomplices were. Kylo unlocked the cockpit of his Silencer, jumped to the ground and headed without hesitation towards the Citadel’s gate. 

The two heavy steel doors shook as he approached and slowly slid into the wall. _Soon this place will be my kingdom_ , Kylo thought. Determined, he entered the building and the gates closed behind him, leaving him alone in complete darkness. There was no sound to disturb the oppressive silence. With a gesture, he activated his light saber. The unsteady blade lit up the black stone walls with a glowing red glow, his threatening hum drove out the silence, and Kylo Ren set off. 

He knew every corner of the Citadel. The tower by which he had arrived was several tens of meters high; a huge stone staircase led to the lower rooms. With the exception of his own and Snoke's quarters, the building was plunged into eternal darkness. With time, Kylo had learned to move around in perfect silence, without seeing anything around him. He preferred to arrive from afar, accompanied by the red blood light of his light saber, his boots slamming on the ground and his cape flying behind him. But here... there was simply no room for that. You had to survive.   
_My apprentice. You’ve arrived_ , Snoke growled in his head. _Join me. We're about to begin._

___ 

It was hot. And humid, with the rain falling all the time. A rather unpleasant smell covered the camp, blown by the wind from the industries on the plain below.

Since his arrival several weeks earlier, Hux had had enough time to tour the area where the villagers lived. They had pitched their tents high up on the side of a sort of hill. From there, they dominated the plains fogged by the pollution of Eriadu's industries. The factories were everywhere, their high chimneys spitting out their orange smoke day and night. In the midst of a rather rough vegetation, there were also many open dumpsites - a godsend for the inhabitants, who regularly went down to get the parts they needed to build or repair their various equipment. This world definitely still had a lot to learn about pollution, even though the facilities were slowly being modernized. 

The air above ground was breathable, even if it was sometimes filled with smoke from the plain, as it is today. As Pakran had promised him, no one had asked him about his origins or his real name. Here, Armitage Hux had made himself known under the pseudonym Hugs. Not that he had chosen this nickname; the villagers had naturally found it for him after an altercation with one of them, which had resulted in a rather violent grounding followed by a strong immobilisation. Since the incident, most of the villagers just ignored him, and the former general did not care. He wasn't there to make friends anyway. 

Only Pakran was talking to him, and over time they had learned, not to know each other better, but at least to work together. 

Hux had set up a piece of tent in a corner of the camp, as far away from the others as possible. These people were living on the edge, producing everything they needed on the spot. To pass the time, and to earn enough money to afford relative comfort, he had taken up one of the local activities: repairing all kinds of appliances, where others made clothes or cultivated the tired land as best they could. 

In the beginning, these working days were as exhausting as they were annoying to him. They reminded him too much of Rey, the scavenger responsible for most of his nightmares about Ren. Not to mention his friends in the Resistance, who had caused Starkiller's downfall. To find himself belittled snooping around for coins like that girl, what a humiliation! But since then, not only had her body gotten used to it, quickly regaining his military reflexes, but his state of mind had also changed. Farewell to the life of an officer. Here, you had to live. Or rather survive. 

In this, and Hux would probably never admit it, Pakran's presence was doing him good. He was the only person who was openly friendly to him. And he offered the General a new world view, in spite of himself. Everyone here had a past, and everyone had chosen to move on. Pakran had told him some of the stories of the people who came and went, staying for a while to rest before leaving, or choosing to settle permanently. 

These stories changed the world as Hux knew it. It was clear that his ideal was far from being realized... And little by little, as Pakran's stories unfolded, the General's certainties began to unravel. He had given everything to the First Order, certain that his destiny was to govern it one day, certain that his vision of things dominated among his own people. To bring serenity back to the Galaxy, of course, sacrifices had to be made. And eliminate the forces of the Resistance, who had not yet understood how far the Republic was going wrong. But while he saw the First Order as a way to finally unify the Galaxy and help the worlds of the Rim, too often neglected by a Republic that was too fragile and unresponsive, this same Order represented nothing but despair and pain for those it was meant to protect. 

New visions were added to those of his nightmares. Those of the massacre of his own men aboard the shuttle Upsilon. Those of a new empire still faltering, but convinced that it was moving in the right direction without realizing that it was crushing everything in its path. His nights had turned into endless dark tunnels, populated by the ghosts of Ren and his men, those who had perished on Starkiller, those who had survived them, and those who were still following him despite this failure. His failure. Not the destruction of the base, no... but his failure to make the First Order the symbol of a new era of unity for the peoples of the Galaxy. He was happy when the day finally dawned. 

All he knew was that the Supreme Leader had likely given orders to speed up the pace of construction. The Eriadu shipyards, long since requisitioned by the First Order for the production of their ships, were running at full capacity to maintain their technological edge over the Resistance. The explosion in the Hosnian system had taken out many Republican ships. The First Order, though having lost the Starkiller base, still possessed a strategic advantage with old imperial plans that had never seen the light of day. With contracts negotiated just after the base fell, rearmament was well underway. And their ships were more modern. Condensed versions of technology, better defended than the better armed, more powerful imperial cruisers. 

As a result, the troops on the ground appeared to have been reinforced. Patrols had increased, and recently Pakran feared that the tranquillity afforded the village by the First Order would soon be a thing of the past. Hux hoped that Ren would return soon. If he was ever caught... and recognized... the knight surely could do nothing for him. Unless Snoke hadn't divulged his temporary desertion. In which case, he could always play the involuntary prisoner card. 

In any case, expeditions outside the camp were getting riskier by the day. Pakran had limited their number as much as possible in order to avoid any problems with the ever-increasing number of armed forces patrolling the camp. For several days, no one had gone out. The bad weather and the wind laden with toxic fumes did not help. But the situation was serious today. The generators that supplied the whole camp with energy had died a few days earlier, drowned by a particularly torrential rain that had flooded their shelter. Without them, the purifiers that were constantly running to clean the water and air were no longer working, jeopardizing the survival of the inhabitants. 

In front this situation, Pakran had summoned the main hunters, as he called them. Those who spent their days searching the dumpsites for parts. They had gathered at first light. And everyone had been discussing for an hour how to deal with the situation as quickly as possible. 

\- I'm telling you that we have to wait until the rain, and especially the wind, stops, La'tik, a Twi'lek and one of the oldest hunters, took off. We don't have anything to protect ourselves from these fumes. Since the First Order increased production rates, our equipment is no longer sufficient! 

Hux resurfaced when he heard the hunter's annoyed voice, and the hubbub that followed her statement. Lost in thought, he had completely forgotten to listen to what was being said. 

\- We don't know when it will happen! Kade, another hunter, answered him in the same tone. And we need the generators! 

\- Very well, and you're going to go then? La'tik railed. Not only is it raining, but you can't see anything down there in this smog. I'm not giving you an hour to slip in the mud or get spotted with your lamp. Going now will only get us in trouble! 

\- Enough, Pakran scolded. I'm afraid Kade is right. The generators stopped running too long ago and our supplies are running low. Especially the water supply. 

La'tik wrinkled her nose. 

\- We put our best guys on it! 

\- And they haven't figured out how to fix it, Pakran replied. We're missing parts. You know that very well. 

There was silence. 

\- I hate to have to make this decision, the man said, but we need to send a team down there. Our survival depends on it. 

A new wave of protests was heard. Most of the villagers recognized the urgency of the situation, but the supplies had not yet run dry. Only air quality was a problem for the moment, and then some. The other problem was that, in the end, no one really wanted to take the risk of running into a patrol just to bring back a room that might not even exist. 

Hux stood up. 

\- I'm going to go. 

There was a stunned silence around him. 

\- You? La'tik said raising an eyebrow. Since when do you care about helping the camp? 

\- I only intend to survive, the general replied. And I'm used to this rotten climate. 

On his home planet, Arkanis, the sun was much rarer than here. And the rain was much heavier. And if he didn't go, everyone would argue for hours more, and the situation would not get any better. Hearing these endless arguments made him tired. He regretted the time when he was still General of the First Order, on Starkiller, and no one challenged the orders. Pure efficiency... when the Resistance didn't interfere. 

And most of all, inaction due to rain drove him crazy. Hunting was the only way he had found to fight his demons. Concentrating on the carcasses to be taken apart, and on repairing them with the gleaned parts, he no longer thought about why he was here. The reasons why he had gone from being a feared and respected officer to a common scavenger of wrecks. Why he doubted the First Order itself. 

\- I talked about sending a team, Hugs, the village headman said calmly. Not a single individual. That would be suicide. 

\- I haven't been here as long as all of you. But I work better alone. It's non-negotiable, Pakran. I'm volunteering, allow me to go. You know I'll find what we need. 

The man sighed. 

\- I suppose no one wants to go with Hugs? 

There was an eloquent silence among the hunters. Of course there wasn't. Too unpredictable, too bossy, too lonely and unbearable. No one would team up with him. 

\- In that case, you have my permission. Hunters, you may leave. 

Hux was about to leave the tent, but Pakran held him back: 

\- Hugs. I don't agree with your idea of going alone. You'd better come back. And not in the hands of some captain of the First Order. 

\- I won't let you down. 

\- Leave as soon as you can. There's no way the expedition will take place at night. You'd be too noticeable. And take everything you need with you. 

\- I'll be careful, Pakran. Now, if you don't mind, I'll get ready. 

\- Mm. May the Force be with you. 

Hux didn't answer when he left the tent to gather his things. The Force... he still didn't understand the concept. Or why so many people seemed to care so much about it. Even when it was Ren who spoke to him about it, the Force seemed like a bunch of old beliefs. But maybe for once, he would need it. 

___

With his left hand, Kylo Ren drew his last enemy to him and pierced him with a single blow of his sword. The Force was particularly powerful here. Powerful and also terribly dark. He quickly scanned the surroundings for any new hostile presence, but detected nothing around him, which relieved him. The knight was exhausted. He had just spent hours running from room to room, from enemy to enemy, drawing on the Force and his own energy to destroy them all. His determination, as well as his hatred and anger towards Snoke, was getting the better of him as he fought. But even that, feeling so much hate and anger, was tiring. 

Not to mention the physical exertion. Every muscle in his body, however hardened, was hurting, and he was literally drenched in sweat. Snoke was forcing him to fight in full gear, and the helmet was particularly annoying. He'd gotten used to the simple eye slit and was mainly able to spot himself through the Force, but the heat underneath was stifling. 

Ren didn't move for long seconds, forcing himself to catch his breath before continuing. He took the opportunity to assess the damage that the previous battles had done to him and grinned as he realized that Hux would grumble when they were reunited. As he did every time he discovered new scars on his lover's body. The supreme leader had outdone himself in the choice of opponents he offered to fight his apprentice, and some of them had caused the knight real difficulties. 

_Well, my apprentice,_ Snoke's voice sounded in his mind as he prepared to start walking again. _I'm beginning to think that finally choosing you wasn't such a bad idea. Solo's blood still flows in your veins, but your grandfather's seems more powerful. Very good. I'll give you a break from your training. We'll resume tomorrow._

Kylo sighed. Rest has been especially scarce these past few weeks. He slept little, barely a few hours each night - and still, he had no way of knowing if it was dark or not in this temple of darkness. Every time he could calm down long enough to sleep, it seemed as if another Snoke command came to wake him up. For some time now the dark warrior had been well beyond fatigue, but he was still mechanically fighting. It took that to hope to surpass his master. He had no right to fail.

The knight returned to his quarters in the dark. This was one of the few places in the Citadel that was not hostile to him. The place was simply provided with a cold metal bunk, and a basic shower. Along one of the walls, a panel similar to those found on warships diffused a pale white light. As soon as he arrived, he threw his mask on the floor. _Damn piece of metal. I hate you. _Fighting the urge to curl up in the blankets and fall asleep, he allowed himself a moment in the shower. The water was lukewarm, not hot as he liked it, but it was better than nothing. Kylo also took the opportunity to check his wounds. You couldn't see much, but he knew exactly where his opponents had touched him.__

__He thought about Hux while examining the various wounds and bruises on his skin. The general made a scene as soon as he returned from the mission with a new mark; the knight did not dare to imagine what state he would be in if he were there now. He grimaced when his fingers reached a long cut on his left shoulder. This one would take a little time to close up and might hinder him in his exercises the next day. He seemed to hear Armitage's voice in his head. _You shouldn't let this happen to you. Or at least he could cure you!__ _

__Kylo smiled as he thought about it. On one of his previous missions with the Knights of Ren, he had tried. To heal himself. The wound had healed, leaving only a clear trail that the general had not escaped. But it had also swarmed for days, which in the end proved to be more unpleasant than anything else. Hux had never known that he was capable of it. He would have insisted too much that the knight use it at the slightest opportunity, but the latter appreciated in spite of himself the worries of his lover at each return from the mission. And the pain helped him focus on his goals most of the time.  
Kriff, he missed the general. For weeks that seemed like an eternity, Ren hadn't tried to locate him through the Force, so as not to awake Snoke's suspicions. Lost in thought, the knight let himself try his healing experiences again. He let the Force guide him, put a hand on his shoulder, relaxed. After a few long seconds, the cut had closed. It wasn't deep, but this small success soothed Kylo. Soon after, he finally got into bed and fell asleep, hoping to recover a little._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late post, I've been short in time lately ^^ I have a few days off, I'll try to continue the translation process! Hope you still like it :D   
> See you soon!


	6. Life only depends on a blaster shot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the rain continues to fall, Hux leaves to find something to repair the generators, at the risk of being spotted by the First Order...

Hux checked his equipment one last time. He didn't take much with him: his bag, some food and water, some protection against smoke and wind, his flashlight, and a blaster - just in case. The rain was still falling, drowning the landscape under a foggy curtain. He folded his hood over his head and began his descent towards the plain. 

The water running down the hill had made the path usually taken by the clan's hunters almost impassable. The general was forced to make up for all the branches that passed by to avoid finishing his descent on his buttocks. When he finally reached the bottom, he was already completely soaked and his coat was covered with mud. _Kriff._ Since his arrival at the camp, Hux must have lost some habits. His hair, for example, had started to grow far beyond the limits he usually set for himself and was now falling out in front of his eyes, and there was nothing he could do about it. But as far as his clothes were concerned, he always made it a point of honour to keep them as clean as possible. It was the only thing he had left to vaguely remember where he came from. This one was a goner. 

Nevertheless, he continued on his way. Now that he was on the plain, his vision was greatly diminished by the wind blowing rain into his eyes. The smell of smoke was diluted by the water, but it was still there, despite the thick cloth pressed against his face. The general lurked between two low plants and tried to spot any stormtroopers, but could not make out anything. He would have to be careful. 

Moving forward painfully in the rain, Hux finally arrived in front of the imposing gates of the nearest garbage dump. Rusting signs indicated in a very graphic way what fate awaited unwelcome visitors. But by dint of this, he had learned which way to go. Under the gates, regular showers had finally dug a hole wide enough for a man to squeeze through. After reluctantly notifying the muddy pond that filled him, the red-headed man crawled over to the other side. 

The dump was inordinately large, like just about everything else on Eriadu. Huge industries and construction sites produced a lot of waste, but the planet did not have all the modern means to get rid of it or reprocess it. All surplus production was therefore piled up in huge open dumps and waited wisely for the rust worms and time to get rid of it. Hux now knew most of the carcasses that had piled up here, but finding anything under these conditions would be complicated ... 

After a few hours of searching in the rain, he finally managed to recover several interesting elements from an old, stoned Droid model. Night was beginning to fall, further diminishing the already dim light. As he tackled a second promising wreck, his lamp between his teeth to see a little more clearly, the General heard a sound he would have recognized in a thousand years, even in a monstrous storm: the icy, orderly sound of a squad of stormtroopers on patrol. Under any conditions, he would have appreciated the coordination of the soldiers' footsteps and the sight of their immaculate armor perfectly aligned. But there, hidden in a dump that was off-limits and possibly with a wanted poster in his name, the fleeing general found it anything but cheerful. 

The little he heard of their conversations was little more reassuring. 

\- He's out there somewhere. 

\- Search the area! 

There weren't many hiding places in the area. At least, not hiding places that could be reached without a lot of squeaking, creaking or rattling. Hux tucked himself in as best he could behind a whole sheet of gutted  
metal, hoping that the now muddy color of his coat would confuse him with the scenery. His heart missed a beat when two armed soldiers walked right past him, luckily without spotting him. He quickly calculated his chances of escape. Either he waited here for the patrol to leave. Or he decided to let the stormtroopers move a little further away and head in the opposite direction. 

The second option seemed more acceptable to him. Staying hidden increased his chances of being spotted. The disadvantage if he left now was that the parts he had managed to recover might not be enough. He had quickly estimated their condition while dismantling them; in theory, they should work as planned. In theory. Hux turned his head slightly to observe the generator he had started to dismantle. He was not far from the goal. 

With all his senses on alert for anyone approaching his hiding place, he moved a few centimetres to reach the repulsion capacitor protruding from the old speeder casing he had started to search. The speeder was almost completely clear, so all he had to do was pull to dislodge it. Holding his breath, the general closed his fingers around the metal cylinder. And pulled. 

The condenser came off the wreckage with a rather inconspicuous "chlong" , fortunately covered by the noise of the storm. Hux grabbed his bag to put the part with the others before trying to escape. He quickly made sure that the flashlight beams of the stormtroopers looking for him had moved away, grabbed his hood with one hand and his bag with the other, and left his hiding place, staying as close to the ground as possible. Unfortunately for him, the strap holding his gear decided to hang on the edge of a broken but not very heavy metal panel. With speed, the general managed to get out of the way without difficulty. However, the panel followed him in his footsteps, taking with it the nearby debris, which tumbled to the ground in a deafening crash. 

_Kriff!_ Armitage swore. From the corner of his eye he could see the movement of the lights of the patrolmen; they had spotted it. His blood only made one turn, and he got up before rushing out. The mud made every step difficult, and several times he failed to skid and spread out on the ground. Jumping as best he could from a pile of rubbish to a heap of collapsed metal sheets, the former general ran with all his strength towards the gates, praying that the soldiers had left an open access. Unlike him, the stormtroopers were equipped to conduct a raid in this loathsome weather, and they were closing fast. By the glow of their torches, Hux saw the fence in front of him. Only a few meters away. The troopers' access had been closed behind them; his only option was the hole the hunters had dug in the course of their expeditions. 

Without hesitation, he let himself fall into the narrow opening as the first blaster shots burst behind him. Ignoring the water that was still seeping into his clothes, the general crawled under the gates to escape his pursuers. As soon as he got up, he grabbed his own blaster and fired back, hoping to disrupt the troopers for a few moments. A handful of seconds would suffice. One of them collapsed, and Hux continued on his way. He knew his boots would leave marks on the soggy ground. But with the pouring rain, they would soon be washed away. He finally reached the bottom of the hill. Rather than take the usual path, he decided to pass by and headed straight for the rocks that lined the hill. Behind him, the soldiers' lights had finally gone out. Using all his muscles to keep up his pace, the general climbed up the hillside at full speed. At this distance, and with the storm, the soldiers could not spot him. 

When he finally reached the top, exhausted and trembling on his legs, he struggled to cover the few meters that still separated him from the generator room. He threw his bag against the door and fell on his knees. 

___

Armitage Hux checked his connections one last time, put down his soldering iron and wiped his forehead with a backhand. 

\- Just like that. Again, just to see? he said to one of the camp repairmen. 

The interested party, a small three-eyed alien, complied. With a characteristic whistle, the generators started up again. 

\- Well done, Hugs, the alien threw at him. Looks like these parts were just what we needed. 

Hux didn't answer. Indeed they were. When he arrived at the camp an hour earlier, the villagers had rushed to retrieve his bag to make the necessary repairs. He had insisted on doing so. In retrieving these items in particular, he had mentally mapped out the wiring plan for the new generator. And he wasn't going to let anyone fry one of the components by doing anything. After a good while kneeling in front of the machine's bowels, he had been able to put each part in place according to the diagram. And it worked. 

\- You're welcome, he finally replied on his way out. 

The rain had finally stopped, a faint ray of sunshine filtered through the clouds. The general sighed. In spite of himself, he felt good at that moment. To tell the truth, it was perhaps the first time since his hasty departure from the Finalizer and his arrival in a hurry. Maybe he had missed a lot of things in his life. But right now, alone in the middle of the soggy camp, he felt like he'd accomplished something. He would have hated it a few months earlier. Playing the scavengers for people who didn't give a damn. But today, that little victory gave him hope. _People change. Everyone who comes here changes _, Pakran told him one day, shortly after his arrival. Maybe he was right, and...__

__His thoughts were interrupted by a noise on his right side, he turned around. La'tik was standing in front of him._ _

__\- What do you want now? scolded the general, distrustful._ _

__\- It seems I underestimated you, Hugs, she said without noting the aggressiveness of her interlocutor. Your hunt was successful. The generators are running again._ _

__\- I told you so, replied the redhead._ _

__\- I know, replied the redhead. We all doubted you. We should have helped you. I'm sor..._ _

__\- First Order! shouted a villager, interrupting the hunter._ _

__Other shouts echoed back to him._ _

__\- The First Order! They're coming!_ _

__\- They're coming up here! A full patrol..._ _

__The sincere and almost friendly glow in the eyes of the Twi'lek suddenly faded away._ _

__\- You, she whistled, threateningly, as she advanced towards Hux. You! How dare you!_ _

__\- La'tik, I... the general tempted._ _

__\- Shut up! Shut up!_ _

__She hit him in the face, and he lost his balance before falling backwards._ _

__\- You're nothing but a traitor. I should have known better. Those coins, that plan... I should have seen it coming!_ _

__The hunter turned to face the villagers who were gathering around them._ _

__\- Hugs has betrayed us! she roared. He sold us out to the First Order! Those parts were only a decoy to deceive our trust!_ _

__\- They were not! La'tik, there's..._ _

__

__\- Quiet! Kade, Lisha, lhe nagar vraat ne'liska, she then scolded in incomprehensible language._ _

__Armitage felt lifted off the ground by two imposing hunters. He tried to fight, without success. His jaw was throbbing, the taste of blood filled his mouth, and he could easily guess that one of his cheekbones would quickly turn purple._ _

__\- We need to organize our defense. Protect the generators, La'tik ordered the villagers. At all costs. The rest of you, cover us. We'll get them._ _

__\- La'tik. Calm down, Pakran said as he walked towards her. They don't necessarily come to harm us. We have an agreement with them. No one's ever attacked us._ _

__\- There's a lot of them, Pakran, said one of the villagers in a worried voice. More than usual._ _

__\- You all know our procedure in the event of an alert. Everyone knows what to do. Just do it._ _

__The villagers nodded and dispersed after a short period of hesitation._ _

__\- Kade, Lisha, let Hugs go, continued the camp leader, unflappable._ _

__\- Pakran, I'm sure it's all his fault, La'tik protested._ _

__\- I'm not asking you to give him a weapon! Take him to a safe place. We don't have time to settle these quarrels now._ _

__Hux also protested._ _

__\- I know how to fight! If their intentions are hostile, one more gunman can only benefit us!_ _

__\- I said, with the others. We'll see later, Hugs._ _

__He lowered his voice._ _

__\- I trust you, but my men don't. If there's a confrontation, I can't leave you among them. I'm sorry, Hugs._ _

__The general still struggled when La'tik dragged him to a tent on the side of the camp. Several of his men were already standing there, ready to rise up and fight if necessary._ _

__\- Stay there, she whistled. Or I'll personally make sure you never move again._ _

__The heavy cloth flap fell behind her as she reached Pakran in the center of the camp to welcome their visitors._ _

__The air was moist, and filled with an almost palpable smell of fear._ _

__\- Don't move, Hugs, repeated one of La'tik's men behind him, an imposing Chagrian. She will. We'll help her if necessary, no one trusts you here. You're on your own on this one._ _

__\- I haven't betrayed anyone, Hux said as calmly as he could while imagining the alien’s nose breaking under his fist. You're making a mistake by putting me aside at such a decisive moment._ _

__\- Silence._ _

__The Chagrian walked towards him and put a calloused hand over his mouth._ _

__\- You're not going to tell them where you're hiding._ _

__The sounds were muffled from the outside, but they could all hear the pounding of the stormtroopers' boots, which stopped only a few meters away, and then the metallic voice of their captain._ _

__\- Take me to the head of this... village._ _

__From a distance, it sounded vaguely like Phasma's voice. A host of sensations came back to Armitage when he heard it, but he repressed them before they took over. It was not the time._ _

__\- I am, replied Pakran's voice._ _

__Armitage had never heard him so cold. Even so, no aggression was apparent in his words. Only a very calm determination._ _

__\- What can we do for you?_ _

__\- You're no longer welcome here._ _

__\- We have water, we have food, we have energy. In limited quantities, but we share with all those who reach us. What you want, we have, Pakran replied._ _

__\- It's not enough anymore. We need men. All negotiation is useless with me, old man, the captain in white armor replied._ _

__Hux easily imagined her turning back to her men._ _

__\- Search the camp, she ordered. Bring me back the wreck plunderers. And anyone strong enough to work on the construction sites._ _

__\- Wait, wait, wait, wait!_ _

__La'tik's voice resounded, followed by a deadly silence._ _

__\- We know who brought you here. We're ready to hand him over to you. He's one of our best hunters. And a technician._ _

__The former general felt the panic return inside him as soon as he heard those words. _No, no, no... They must not see me!_ A new silence followed the statement of the Twi'lek. _ _

__\- Interesting. And you're willing to let him down?_ _

__\- He betrayed us, spat out the hunter. He no longer deserves his place among us._ _

__\- Bring him forth._ _

__Hux felt the Chagrian's grip close in on him. He tried to fight back, tried to bite the hand that was choking him, without success. With his heart beating like a trapped animal, he analyzed everything around him. Men at arms. Everywhere. If he could catch even one blaster..._ _

__He didn't have time to think it over. The curtain opened to let La'Tik pass, his eyes darker than ever. She nodded to her sidekick, who lifted Armitage off the ground without worrying about her now desperate attempts to free herself. _They mustn't recognize me, no, not now..._ The images of the shuttle massacre, of days alone in Eriadu's sweaty heat, of his endless nightmares at night, came over him as panic set in. In a final burst, he threw himself on the Twi'lek, hoping to throw it off balance with a single blow of his head. _ _

__But the Chagrian held him too tight. So it was in terror that the former general found himself in the light, kneeling in the mud, and held firmly in place. He lowered his head in front of the Stormtrooper captain, avoiding at all costs his gaze through the immaculate helmet._ _

__\- Is that him? she said. He's not very impressive._ _

__Hux wanted to get up and yell at her to shut up in front of his superior. Not impressive? One of the youngest generals of the First Order, the one who had drawn the first plans of the largest ever sidereal base with his own hand, had had that same base built, and had reduced the entire Hosnian system to ashes with it. The Republic called him the Herald of the Apocalypse. The Destroyer of Worlds. So, yes, there was something to be impressed about._ _

__Instead, he remained on his knees, humiliated. With his swollen cheek, his filthy clothes, his locks of hair in front of his eyes, and the beginnings of a badly trimmed beard, he was aware that he was far from the presence of General Armitage Hux that everyone knew._ _

__\- Are you a technician? she added, addressing him directly._ _

__He nodded silently, digging his nails into his palms to mask the trembling of his hands at the thought that even his voice could betray him at any moment._ _

__\- Take him away, ordered the captain. Interrogation._ _

__\- I was sure we could negotiate, Captain, thanked La'Tik, visibly relieved._ _

__The stormtrooper ignored her._ _

__\- Search the camp, she continued, frosty. Take everyone who can serve down there._ _

__\- What about the others, Captain? one of the soldiers questioned._ _

__The answer was indisputable._ _

__\- Kill them._ _

__Two soldiers in armor grabbed by the arms an Armitage too dazed to react. As everything around him exploded amidst the screams of the villagers trying to flee and the stormtroopers brutally lifted him up, he met Pakran's gaze. _Everybody changes. It is your turn,_ he thought he could see it in the old man's eyes. Then everything went very fast: a blaster shot, and the smoke from a nascent fire concealed the body of the camp leader from him forever. _ _

__Annihilated by the turn of events, he had no choice but to let it happen. Handcuffs closed on his wrists, and he let himself be dragged down the hill. As the landscape slowly passed around him, the former general could not help thinking that Pakran had been right all along. The First Order was a lie. He could never return to his old life. Not anymore, he couldn't._ _

___I served them. Since I was born. I've suffered for them, I've killed for them, I've risen among them, I'd have died for them if I had to... and for what purpose? The First Order watched me grow up with them. At the first mistake, it rejected me. Now those same men who obeyed me have destroyed what little was left of me. I'm going to die at the hands of these well-trained men. Programmed from birth. As was I. I am nothing in this galaxy. I never was._ _ _

__In the midst of these painful thoughts, only Ren's face brought him a thin hope. A familiar yet foreign face. It seemed as if she had not seen him for years._ _

___Kylo... You're all I have left now._ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was bound to happen eventually, wasn't it? My apologies again, keep in mind I love Armie with all my little heart. I really do. ♥
> 
> Funny little things that come to mind right now:  
> I'm trying to make peace with episode eight, but I hate the nickname Hugs. And I'm also trying to make peace with episode 9 so yes, everyone should fear our Armie, General of the First Order, Destroyer of Worlds, Herald of the Hosnian Apocalypse. I love him like that and I will ALWAYS love him ♥
> 
> There's a Chagrian. I could have put anything in its place (even though Chagrians freak you out a bit, right? in this context it was perfect). But it's a little wink to jesuisbetejesuispatissiere go read his stories really they are unbelievable ♥ go ahead. Read Ben, Sheev, and the Adventures of Armitage Hux (and all the others, even the ones that are not from this fandom, are gold)
> 
> There you go. I'm tired, I say anything, but I love you, thank you for reading me ♥ I'll come soon with the newt chapter! 
> 
> Also, stay safe with all those stories about Coronavirus ♥


	7. Move on, it is time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux is taken by the First Order, while Ren receives a new assignment.

_My apprentice... You're getting stronger every day. The time is approaching when you will finally be able to face the final stage of your training._

From the top of his throne, the Supreme Leader congratulated Kylo Ren, who listened attentively to him, watching for any information that might be useful. For many weeks, his training continued unabated. If the hours spent meditating in the dark or fighting against ever-increasing enemies had been grueling, and if Snoke's punishment had been painful, the knight could not deny that it had done him good. 

He'd spent some time focusing on his goals. With no officers to stand in his way... Without mission orders, without quests across the galaxy to find the ghost of a former Jedi. He needed to become stronger. To do that, he had worked tirelessly. His body had strenghtened, he had now recovered everything he had lost while locked in his bacta tank after the fight with the girl. He had learnt to control his every move to save his energy, to move as quietly as a panther and to hit his enemies when they weren't waiting for him. More than a tool, the Force had become his ally. It guided his arm, fueled by an increasingly powerful hatred towards his master, allowing each blow to find its target. And above all, it healed his wounds, in the secrecy of his quarters, at night. 

After her success on a small wound, an eternity earlier, Ren had decided to work on this ability in parallel with the others, and without telling Snoke. Now, treating the wounds he had received during the day only took him a few minutes. Treating himself in this way had greatly improved his training efficiency. Hux would be proud of him. When he found him. 

_You're going to proceed outside the Citadel. The Knights of Ren are waiting for you somewhere. They've been training too. Find them. Defeat them, and we will rule this new empire unchallenged._

Snoke's voice resonated in his head, but Kylo preferred to answer in person. 

\- It will be as you wish, master. 

With a gesture from the leader, the knight got up and left the room. It had been a long day. The night ahead would be longer. He clenched the handle of his sword in his fist and moved towards the tower where he had left his ship. A few floors below the landing platform, two heavy doors opened directly to the outside. 

Eliminating the Knights seemed a strange idea to him. Even though their abilities were below his, they were known for their power and cruelty in battle. Within the First Order, many considered them demons and it was best not to cross their path. Their main asset was their mastery of weapons, combined with judicious use of the Force. They never parted, and their number was also an advantage. If they had been specially trained to face him, they could give Kylo a hard time. 

The two huge doors opened up as he approached and then closed behind him. To his surprise, the sky was clear, but the air was still wet from a recent rainstorm and a strong wind was sweeping the virgin piece of land around the Citadel. Without hesitation, the knight headed for the nearby forest. The Knights could not escape him for long. He could feel their presence in the Force. 

___

Hux closed his eyes to take stock of his situation. After descending the hill and a short walk across the plain, the stormtroopers had thrown him on a speeder and he had quickly found himself here. Judging by the extent of the buildings they had passed through, the noise, and the smell of oil and electricity in the air, they had reached the heart of the Eriadu shipyards. And then he had been brought here, to a narrow, white room, too bright. The former general was tied to a chair in front of a desperately empty table. For what seemed like hours, he had been waiting, completely alone.

During the journey to the construction sites, the handcuffs had slashed the flesh of his wrists, and their burns reminded him of them with every movement. His left eye also hurt, it had swollen after the blow La'tik had given him. In fact, the left half of his face seemed painfully numb. But beyond what he could feel physically, it was the bitterness in him that hurt him the most. Hux couldn't stop thinking about what the First Order had done to him. What his father had done to him. He thought he got rid of those memories by having him murdered, and now his past was coming back to haunt him. 

The hissing of the door in front of him startled him, he opened his eyes, waking up from the nauseating syrup of his memories. His gaze crossed that of a young officer in uniform, obviously a lieutenant, escorted by two stormtroopers. The former general couldn't hold back a grin at the care taken with his outfit. 

\- You are guilty of violation of private territory, of theft on this same territory, and of an attack on a patrol which caused the death of a soldier of the First Order, the officer recited, sitting down.

He stared at Hux with a steely gaze. 

\- I should have you executed, like the filthy scavenger that you are. However, I am told that you are part of that village on the hill. Can you confirm that? 

Armitage nodded his head. 

\- What was your role in this organization? 

\- Collecting parts. To repair what I was asked to repair, he replied in a voice made hoarse by thirst. 

The lieutenant’s fingers ran on his datapad. 

\- One of your people would have said you had a certain... talent for that. Is that true? 

\- Yes. 

\- Then we have a proposition for you. Your choice. Either you're executed for all the reasons on my list... or you work for us. 

Hux held a sigh. If even the First Order started recruiting criminals, the situation was certainly bad for them. 

\- I don't really have a choice, he answered. 

\- Not really. But at least we agree. Just before, some formalities... Your identification? 

The former general tensed up. There was no way he was giving his, he would be unmasked immediately. Already, he could thank La'Tik for having half disfigured him... for the moment no one seemed to recognize him. 

\- I don't have one, he said. 

The officer had a sniff of contempt. 

\- A name, at least? 

\- They called me Hugs. I have nothing else. 

Another scornful sigh. 

\- We'll settle for that.

The lieutenant got up, turned his back on Hux and waved to one of the soldiers. 

\- Take care of him and take him to the workshop. See with the crew if he's really useful. 

As his superior left the room, the stormtrooper suddenly relieved Hux. Hux grimaced as he felt the metal of the handcuffs rubbing against his already damaged skin. 

\- Forward, he said, his voice distorted by the vocoder in his helmet. 

The former general let himself be drawn through a maze of corridors. As they advanced, the sounds of metal and tools became louder. So did the smell. A few minutes later, they stopped in front of a closed door. The soldier pressed a key on a keyboard next to it. 

Moments later, the door leaf slid into the wall, revealing the silhouette of a man in uniform. 

\- Someone for Biryana, the soldier said, pushing Hux towards the newcomer. 

\- Good. Untie him, I'll see what I can do. Thank you. 

Armitage carefully massaged his bruised wrists as soon as they were released. As the soldier in white armor moved away, the man motioned for him to come in, and the door closed behind them. Hux took a few seconds to stare at him: he was medium height, dark hair, human. Various stains on his white and blue uniform and a set of tools on his belt betrayed his function as a technician. The man looked back at him while wiping his hands with a dirty rag. 

\- You're going to have to fix you up a bit, he said. You can't go before the boss like that... Follow me. 

Moments later, Hux found himself in front of a row of rudimentary showers, a blue and white suit in his arms. 

\- These are the showers, announced his guide. You really need one... you've got two minutes. Get cleaned up, changed and meet me outside. 

The former general did not ask for help. Once he was alone, he hastily took off his muddy and wet clothes and rushed under the water. He hadn't had a real shower in weeks. Almost months. He greeted the water with relief and vigorously rubbed every inch of his body, rediscovering with amazement the whiteness of his skin under the layer of dust and dirt that partially covered it. He took the opportunity to untangle as best he could his red locks before placing them on his skull. The water was warm, pleasantly warm, and he would have stayed there for hours, but time passed quickly and he had to resolve to leave the cabin. He quickly put on his new outfit, oversized trousers full of pockets and a slightly tighter jacket, before finding the technician at the door. 

\- I almost waited, the technician grunted as he arrived. That's better. However... it looks like you fought a Rancor with your bare hands...

He reached into one of the pockets of his uniform and handed the general a small shiny wrapper. 

\- Put a bacta patch on it, it'll make it look more presentable. It'll look nicer, too. Whoever did this to you, they didn't miss you... 

Hux grabbed the patch with his fingertips. The offer was tempting. His face was still hurting, his cheekbone had taken on a nasty purplish hue. But on the other hand, the wound was a big part of his anonymity. He finally refused. 

\- I can't, he lied, returning the patch to its owner. I'm allergic. 

\- It's just your luck, with something like that on your face... It's gonna stay gere for days... but ok. Well, let's go. She doesn't like to wait. 

_She_ , as Hux found out a few minutes later, was a tall, broad-shouldered, dark-skinned woman, a little cramped in her outfit. When they arrived, she gave up her work to come and meet them. 

\- Is he the new guy? The outstanding repairer-scavenger? Well... he doesn't look like much. 

The redhead scowled. 

\- At last. 

She offered him her hand and added:

\- I'm Biryana Braws. I'm in charge of this section. I was told you came from a village of looters. What can you do? 

\- Everything, Hux replied confidently. Whatever you give me to do. 

Biryana laughed. 

\- You're funny! One thing, boy. You clearly don't have the build to work downstairs on the construction sites. If you don't prove yourself here, you're out. And you know what that means in your case. So a word of advice-- don't bring it up too much. Hopefully you're not too bad... we've already had looters before. Good ones, rarely. Let's find out. 

She turned to the other technician. 

\- Zak. We've received a series of faulty motivators. Doesn't sound too complicated, just stay with him and see what he can do. 

\- That's fine, said the interested party. Come on, let's go. We've got work to do. 

While guiding Hux through the workshops, he continued to talk. 

\- Biryana isn't bad. She just wants the job done right. That's what the First Order wants. But if you need it, she'll help you. Me too, or anyone else. If you're really too bad, there's nothing we can do for you... but if you have any questions, enjoy the first few days. After that, you'll have to fend for yourself. By the way, my name is Zak. What's your name?

\- They called me Hugs up there.

\- Funny nickname... 

\- I didn't choose, grunted the former general. 

\- You never choose... well, here we are. You'll work here. I'll show you later where the other places you need to know are. 

Zak approached a shelf. 

\- Have you ever seen hyperdrive motivators? he asked. 

\- Yep. 

In spite of himself, Armitage felt comfortable with this technician. His chatter and friendliness annoyed him a little, but at least listening to him he was thinking about something else. Which suited him well. He approached in his turn. 

\- It's not the best model, he commented, taking a piece in his hand. 

\- No, these are older. We're getting them back for prototypes. They want to equip TIE fighters with them. 

\- Ah. 

Hux was surprised that he hadn't heard of the idea. In itself, it was a good idea because it increased the portability of the fighters... but given their numbers, moving them using a destroyer was probably cheaper. A TIE was easy to replace. You might as well save on its functionality... 

\- At least with those, no TIE will move, he said. Just the one I just took... it's got a short circuit. 

\- And how do you know that? 

\- I can tell. There, he said, pointing to a slight blackened spot on the side. It's a manufacturing defect, it's common on this model. But it's easily repaired. 

He turned to Zak with a slight smile. The first one in a long time. 

\- Shall I show you? 

___ 

It was dark when they finally left the workshop, leaving behind about twenty perfectly functioning motivators. Zak walked past to show the way.

\- It's time to go to sleep. I'll show you where you can set up for now. There are more and more of us here, but there's still room. You'll be safe. 

The corridor they were crossing gave way to an all-glass walkway, overlooking the factory town below. Hundreds of lights were shining outside. Hux slowed down slightly, just long enough to admire the view. Workers were busy, helped by droids carrying long steel beams and carts full of spare parts. All these people, he thought, must have come from far away. And they had landed here, far from their homes, in the name of the greatness of the First Order. He sighed before he caught up with his guide. 

\- Zak... can I ask you a question? he said as he reached his height. 

\- Hm? Go ahead, go ahead.

\- I thought the First Order could afford something other than the old motivators from earlier. Even for prototypes. Why are they doing this? 

The technician quickly looked around to see if they were alone, then shrugged his shoulders. 

\- They _could_ afford it. When I got there, we only worked on building their biggest ships. Lately, that's changed. You know... you don't ask questions of those who give the orders. 

He paused for a brief moment, lowered his voice. 

\- Something must have happened in their ranks. Their attempts to create new prototypes is like what someone who has no time left would do... There are rumors. The Resistance is said to have used its recent victory to galvanize its troops. They must have found new allies. 

Hux said nothing, stunned by Zak's words. If something had indeed happened at the command level, it must have been serious. Making these kinds of hasty decisions was not like the First Order he knew. Or maybe the Resistance had really made a comeback. He briefly thought about Ren. Maybe he had finally finished his training, and his plans had come to fruition? A wave of hope filled him. If that was the case, Ren would come back for him. 

\- If the Resistance has the means to defy the First Order, it will come here, Zak continued gravely. I don't know much about it, but Eriadu must be important given the means we have. I think that's what's scaring the First Order. Anyway, don't worry about it! 

He gave the former general a friendly pat on the back and smiled. 

\- If they ever get here, we've got enough to defend ourselves. At worst, they say that members of the Resistance are lenient with prisoners... especially us, I don't think we have anything to worry about! After all... a lot of them didn't have a choice. You know what I'm talking about! Besides, it's just rumors anyway.   
Zak stopped and pushed open a door. The room just behind was huge, and cluttered with various mattresses, blankets, and objects of all kinds lined up along the walls. 

\- Here we are. You can stand somewhere in the back. No one will bother you. Just rest. You did a great job today, Biryana will like it. The scavengers who usually join us aren't usually up to the job... It won't take long before she accepts you as a full member of her section. 

\- Thank you, Hux said. 

\- See you tomorrow, Hugs. We're going to need you, so get in shape. 

\- I'll see you tomorrow. 

After Zak left, the former general walked through the dormitory trying not to run over the few technicians who were already asleep. He made his way to the other end of the room and dropped himself on a mattress. Fatigue took him suddenly. He didn't even have time to think about everything that had happened today and fell asleep immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm LATE   
> I went in Amsterdam last month, just before the virus and self-isolation stuff, and then things were a bit rushed :p   
> I now have more time to work on translation and on other projects. Thanks for your support, I hope you liked this chapter as well. Don't hesitate to tell me! See you soon ♥


	8. Let the past die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Ren reunites with his Knights, Armitage faces a new ordeal.

The day was dawning over the black treetops. Kylo was advancing silently, his lightsaber in hand, ready to activate it at the slightest alert. A dark aura bathed the forest, enveloping the smallest pebble, permeating everything around him. The Force was fluctuating a lot in these places, making his hunt harder than expected. For hours, he had been relentlessly tracking the six Knights. But every time he thought he was getting closer, the mysterious energy flowed in and diluted their presence in that of the other beings in the forest. 

A few months earlier, it would have been enough to plunge Ren into a dark anger. He would have drawn his lightsaber, cut down the first tree that came along, and continued on his way even more angry than before. But those days were over. From now on, he enjoyed every moment of the hunt, patiently waiting to catch up with his target. Or rather, his targets. He wasn't far away. The hunt had tired him out, and he suspected that his prey would eventually take a break of their own accord. 

Walking like a shadow in the middle of the slender, inky bark logs, Kylo Ren felt alive. Every square inch of his skin was concealed by his heavy clothes, his thick gloves, his silvery helmet. He didn't feel the wind stirring his hair, but he could feel the energy flowing around him. He could feel the leaves crumpling noiselessly under his feet. He could feel every muscle in his body tightening, watching for the slightest danger.   
At that moment, all his doubts had left him. No matter what he did. What Ben Solo had done. Kylo Ren had taken his place, like the insect that leaves its unsightly chrysalis to finally take flight. Kylo Ren was strong. Indomitable. Kylo Ren would soon rule the world. 

He thought of Hux. What had become of him all this time? He hadn't let their bond come to the surface of his mind for months. There was no way of knowing where he was or what he was doing. Yet the knight was not afraid. His lover was alive, safe and secure on some planet. He was waiting for him, perhaps thinking of future plans for conquest. Kylo smiles under his helmet. Finalizer alongside Hux. It had been a while since their paths had crossed. 

_Let the past die_ , he thought. This would be his final test. The destruction of his last link with the Jedi. With the light. 

\- Here we are gathered for the last time, my knights, he said. 

\- Our paths part here, master, Ap'lek replied. 

_Master._ The exchange was like any they'd ever had before. After all, even with the mission to kill them, Kylo respected them. And that respect was mutual. 

\- It's time to choose a new master, Ushar scolded. Snoke sent us here to make our decision. 

\- The choice is already made, Kylo replied. 

\- We're stronger. 

\- We have grown. 

\- We've trained. 

The knight let his cloak slip off his shoulders. 

\- And so did I. 

He activated his lightsaber. The flickering blade tore through the darkness that still clung to the trees despite the dawn in the sky. In front of him, Kylo felt the Knights tighten their grip on their weapons. He inhaled. Exhaled. And threw himself upon them. 

___

The roar of an alarm woke Hux with a start. It took him a few seconds to emerge and remember that no, he wasn't on Starkiller or his ship. He straightened up on his mattress and found that he had fallen asleep the night before without taking off his clothes and boots. All around him, other technicians were waving in the midst of the glowing lights that were lit up all over the place. He stood up. 

\- What's that? he shouted to be heard. 

\- The general alert! yelled one of them in response. 

All around them, everyone seemed to be perfectly aware of the procedure to be followed. Hux heard someone wondering if it was an exercise. Apparently it was a common occurrence. As the former general reached the footbridge to the workshops, he saw two entire squadrons of TIE fighters flying eastward. If this was an exercise, they had done their homework. 

\- What's the procedure? he asked another.

\- You stay at your post, you take a gun, and you pray! the guy answered. 

Decidedly, the First Order had changed a lot. Instead of just standing there, Hux decided to find Zak. At least he would know what to do. As he ran towards the workshops, their discussion of the previous day resurfaced. What if it wasn't a drill? What if the Resistance really did succeed in breaking into their security? A shiver of panic ran through him. In the event of an attack, if he didn't die and was captured instead, there would be someone there to recognize him. General Organa might be known to be merciful, but even she had her limits. The Resistance would never forgive him. The Herald of the Hosnian Apocalypse would end up on his knees with a bag over his head and a blaster over his temple. 

Luckily for him, the former general came face to face with his companion at the bend in a corridor before he had time to think further about all the possible ways the Resistance could execute him. 

\- Zak! What the hell's going on? 

\- The warning signal! 

\- Is this for real? 

The technician shrugged his shoulders. 

\- I don't know. But we have to follow the procedure! Follow me... 

Armitage shook his head, fighting his desire to flee as far away as possible, as quickly as possible. 

\- Zak, I can't! If the resistance comes, they'll... they'll kill me. I can't stay here! 

\- You don't have a choice! We have to protect the construction sites at all costs. Get a blaster and get down! 

They were interrupted by gunfire outside. A tremor shook the upstairs. 

\- Kriff, Zak blasted. This doesn't look like a drill. 

Hux thought fast, mobilizing his entire mind not to think about the consequences if it was the Resistance at their door. 

\- Isn't there any way to stop them? 

\- We have an automated defense system, yes. And a lot of stormtroopers. But it might not be enough. 

\- We can't just stand here, Hux said as another explosion shook the walls, this time closer. Find me a way to track their progress through the buildings. 

\- We're supposed to be defending the base, Zak protested. 

\- We're supposed to survive, Hux replied. The First Order has taken enough from me. I can't come with you. 

The man hesitated. 

\- The others are downstairs. I can't leave them. Even if I die. 

\- I can't hold you back, Hux regretted. 

\- May the Force be with you, then. Survive. 

\- With you too.

As Zak walked away, the former general called him back.

\- Zak! I will see you again. Good luck to you. 

The tech nodded his head and ran away again. Hux remained alone for a second, sincerely regretting his comrade's decision for one day. But he had no choice. Going the other way, he started looking for a checkpoint. The first one he came across was empty. A gaping hole in the ceiling showed the dawning daylight, pieces of blackened consoles littered the floor. Through the opening, he saw two X-Wing fighters chasing a TIE in poor condition. 

The former general started running again. Soon he realized that the alert had been given too late. The fighters weren't enough to stop the rebel ships that were shelling the shipyards. Looking down on the factory below confirmed to him that going there was a bad idea. It was nothing but flames. In the inner courtyard, troop transports were unloading Resistance soldiers. It hurt him to admit it, but they seemed better armed, and better prepared, than the troopers on their way. Worse than that, their presence prevented him from reaching the only exit point nearby. In a few minutes, they'd be here. Armitage was trapped. 

Sticking his fingernails into his palms, the general rushed through the corridors looking for a hiding place. Eventually he ran into a small room, apparently a computer control centre. A few electrical cabinets were still humming. The rest of the equipment was turned off. With his heart pounding, he crawled between two shelves, praying that no one would find it. He remembered the words of Zak earlier, and Pakran before him. The Force... If there was ever a time to pray, this was it. 

The former general closed his eyes. He didn't know how to do it at all. So he just thought very hard about Ren using this energy that was supposedly everywhere. Absorbed by the task, he could barely hear the roar of a sinking TIE hunter just above him. All he saw was a red and white ball engulfing the room, he felt himself leaving the ground, and before he landed brutally, before the pain exploded all over his body and the light shut, he seemed to feel something around him. Something warm and at the same time cold, chaotic and harmonious at the same time. He understood. And whispered. A word. 

_Ren._

___ 

While deflecting a blaster shot with his blade, Kylo threw one of the dark warriors to the ground. There were already four of them, but they were holding on. He turned to parry a first blast, jumped to the side to avoid a second blast, and stuck his sword through a helmet at random. Only three to go. 

Kuruk kept his distance and kept firing blaster shots at him. As Kylo swung his sword, he tried to get closer, but Ap'lek got in his way. The Master of the Knight dodged his blows without being able to return them, and assessed the situation at the same time. The battle had been going on for some time now. He was hot. And thirsty. Sweat was sticking to the locks under his helmet, rolling down his forehead, falling before his eyes. His muscles were starting to hurt. And yet he was holding on. 

Pushing back another assault, he managed to hit Cardo. Just enough to pull him back. Moving into the opening, he gained a few yards of ground. _Just a little more._   
At that very moment, an intense pain invaded him. Distracted, he could not avoid Ap'lek's blade, which sank into his shoulder. Points of light danced before his eyes, yet he could not feel the bite of the weapon in his flesh. What he felt was much more interior. And familiar. His heart missed a beat when he understood. 

_Hux!_

Through the Force, making its way through at full speed, their bond emerges with power and clarity. As he struggled to master it, a blaster shot hit him in the flank. He grunted, shifting his attention to the shooter for a few seconds. The anguish increased his strength, and instead of simply lifting his opponent off the ground, lightning bolts went from his fingers to envelop him completely. Kuruk screamed before falling back to the ground, inert. Kylo didn't take the time to realize what he'd just done. A single thought occupied his entire mind. 

As he pounced on Ap'lek, his vision darkened and the smell of smoke caught his throat. Drowning in a high-pitched noise that twisted his eardrums, he could hear the cries of several people. Cries of terror, but also of rage. And orders, barking at soldiers. He also heard the roar of a dying TIE hunter. Then his own erratic breathing came over the rest. 

Kylo resurfaced trembling. An icy silence surrounded him, only broken by the crackling of burns on the bark of the trees around him. He was alone. No presence disturbed the Force around him. He feverishly took off his helmet to breathe easier. The bodies of the six Knights lied motionless on the ground. The arm holding his sword was still trembling, he turned off the blade. The glowing marks on the bodies of Ap'lek and Cardo were no doubt the cause of their brutal deaths. 

He took a few moments to try to understand how it happened. This vision. It all happened too fast. What was the meaning of it? Why had their connection manifested itself now? He tried to project his mind towards the general's, but to no avail. The universe was too big, and the knight was in no condition to accomplish that feat. Especially not after three months of desperately trying to forget how to do it. He decided to return to the Citadel. It was time to end it all. Then he could find Hux. Before it was too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wednesday is new chapter day! Hope you guys still like my story T-T almost 1K hits, I can't believe ittt   
> Thank you ♥ see you next wednesday for chapter NINE (sorry not sorry for the cliffhanger)


	9. The fire, the cold and the Force

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where everything ends. Or not.

The doors to Snoke's quarters opened before him. He went in, knelt on the ground. 

\- I did what you asked, master. The Knights of Ren are no more. 

Snoke stood up. 

\- I know he did. You have completed your mission. You are now...

The leader's words faded into the distance. Kylo felt his connection to Hux awaken for the second time. He lost his balance and fell forward, catching up as best he could. Suddenly he felt the pain explode in all his limbs. He felt the taste of blood on his lips, and a supernatural cold invade his body. Through a black veil, he vaguely saw the glow of a fire. He heard a familiar voice whispering his name, and then everything blurred. A wave of darkness enveloped him and he slid inside without being able to do anything. 

The knight emerged, out of breath. His lungs burned as if he'd been underwater too long. On all fours on the metal floor, he tried to regain his composure in front of Snoke who had approached and was now standing in front of him. 

\- The General. He's alive. 

\- I... I felt his presence in the Force, the knight confirmed. 

The leader grinned with hatred. 

\- I saw him on the planet where he's hiding. The Resistance led an attack. This traitor is bleeding to death. He's going to die. 

He pressed down on the last words, each of them crashing like a sharp blade into Kylo's heart.

\- Your place is by my side now. Hux is a hindrance to your ascension, I can feel the doubt seeping into you again. You are pitiful! 

\- I no longer doubt, master, replied the knight. 

He stood up calmly. 

\- I rise. 

He ignited his lighstaber. A glimmer of fear passed through the leader's eyes when he realized that nothing would stop his apprentice. 

\- Now all I have to do is destroy you, and my training will be complete. 

Raising his saber, he parried the cascade of lightning that Snoke sent him. Drawing on his last reserves, in his newfound bond with the general, in the power of his fear at the thought of losing him, at the thought that it was already too late, he advanced inexorably towards the throne. He faced Snoke with confidence. In his master's eyes he saw his reflection. A prince dressed in black, with an aura of fiery red. At last, for the first time in years, he felt ready.

\- Long live the Supreme Leader, Kylo scolded. 

One blow was enough to end his reign. The new master of the First Order left the inert body of his former master behind. Minutes later, his Silencer TIE left the planet, the Citadel and its ghosts forever. 

Once out of the atmosphere, Kylo let his fighter drift into the vastness of space. He let go of the controls, focused on the stars around him. Each one of them was potentially holding his lover prisoner. He closed his eyes, and opened himself to the Force. He guided the energy around him to his most recent wounds to soothe them. Images of Hux came to his mind. The general on the main deck of the _Finalizer_ , standing in his black uniform, admiring the grandeur of the Galaxy. That same black uniform in the snow on Starkiller. Against the red background of the First Order flags. Admist the white armor of the stormtroopers. Before Kylo at last, while he was agonizing on the dying Starkiller. He saw Hux again in their quarters, in the morning when he woke up, with his ruffled red locks that he hastened to put back in place. With his datapad always near him, in case his presence was needed somewhere. He relived his smile, felt his fingers in his hair, his warmth against his body in the freezing night aboard the star destroyer.   
That energy, that power, that sweetness, that's what he was now looking for. A tear rolled down his cheek. 

_Wherever you are, Armie, be alive..._

He projected his spirit all around him. Dozens of echoes answered him, he ignored them, continuing to search further and further, pouring all his power through the Force, hoping to find that tiny vibration he knew by heart. And finally he recognized it. As faint as that of an insect caught in a web, struggling in a final burst. As faint as the last ray of a dying star. His star. With his heart beating, Kylo reached for this tiny fragment. He smelled the smoke, he heard the silence. He finally identified the place. 

_I'm on my way._

Without hesitation, he entered hyperspace, letting the Force guide him. It would be a long journey. Every second gained was precious. 

___

Hux opened his eyes. It was dark. Not the quiet darkness of the night, where you can still see a few stars behind the mist. A relentless darkness, into which no ray of light ever ventured. Hux felt as if he was floating in the middle of this infinite darkness, as if he were enclosed in a bubble, free of all carnal envelopes. Despite the stifling presence all around him, he was not afraid. As if the darkness was protecting him. But he didn't know what from. 

As his mind awoke, he realised he was in pain. The pain was distant, diffuse. It pulsed softly; by concentrating for a moment, the general noticed that the rhythm followed the beating of his own heart. Each beat   
sent new signals through his body. Soon, the feeling of lightness he felt faded away, giving way to a much more unpleasant impression. The feeling of being crushed against a cold, metallic surface. Darkness, on the other hand, continued to surround him. 

Smells of charred metal and blood gradually seeped into his dark bubble. Suddenly he felt the need to breathe; the air full of dust and ashes burned his throat, and he coughed to get rid of it. This simple movement gave him an electric shock. 

The pain, which until then had remained on the periphery of his dark world, suddenly penetrated it. Surprised, Hux didn't even have the strength to move or to scream. He remained perfectly still, helpless. All his senses mingled violently, colliding in the darkness that still enveloped him. The power of their whirlwind imploded the bubble that still protected him, and he emerged in spite of himself. 

He was lying on a hard surface. Something heavy weighed on his whole body. He was cold. The heat of a nearby fire was barely reaching him, which explains the unbreathable, smoke-laden air. Armitage felt another source of heat, closer to him, on his skin. A warm liquid was flowing down his face, but could not warm him up. On the contrary. He recognized the salty taste of the blood in his mouth. His own blood. Deep inside, the general felt that all this was not normal, but this information was lost among the others. 

He laboriously brought his right hand back in front of him, at the cost of an immense effort, to try to free himself. In vain. All energy seemed to slowly leave him, as the blood flowed around him. With his fingertips, he touched his face. A lightning bolt went through him, he almost lost consciousness. Everything fell into place around him, like pieces of a huge puzzle. 

The attack of the Resistance. His desperate search for a place to hide. The crash of a TIE fighter a few meters from him. The blast of the explosion that lifted him off the ground and then brought him back to it brutally. And then nothing. A doubt rose from the depths of his mind. His bare hands could touch the ground. His lips tasted of blood. So he was alive. Barely, but he was alive. Debris not far from of him were slowly consuming. He could vaguely feel their heat on his cold skin. Then why... A shiver ran through him when he understood. His eyes were wide open. From the beginning. Wide-open to the black, inconceivable emptiness that surrounded him. The emptiness that no light could reach. Would never reach again. 

Armitage screamed. No sound crossed his lips. Instead, he had the impression of disintegrating into millions of particles, of floating in the infinite space whose beauty he loved to admire so much, and gradually joining this current both chaotic and harmonious that mingled with the night within him. Like a light, without really being one. He clung to it with all his strength.   
In front of him, he thought he saw Kylo's face. 

Hundreds of parsecs away, Ren felt their bond awaken once more. To his astonishment, the Force seemed for a brief moment to change shape around him. He felt a hand reaching out to him, touching his fingers, before disappearing. It seemed to cross Armitage's emerald eyes when his words finally reached him. 

_Kylo... Help me. Come and get me._

_Armie? Armie, I'm here! I'm coming!_

Gathering all the strength he still possessed, Kylo projected his spirit towards his wounded lover and wrapped him in a bubble of Force. Gently, as one would rock a newborn child, he tried to infuse it with his own   
vital energy. The shining spark far from him, which guided him, was more and more blinking. 

_Hang in there, Armie. Just a few more hours. Please..._

_I'm gonna... try..._

Kylo felt his heart squeeze. He could easily imagine the pale smile of his lover. 

___ 

So that was the Force. A continuous flow of emotions, sensations, a whole that bound the universe together to hold it together. Hux forced himself to stay close to Kylo so he wouldn't lose him in the flood that was sweeping him away. It was difficult. Painful. 

And he waited. A long time. Alone in his icy night. Confident. As the hours passed, the cold inside him finally erased the pain. Vaguely, he thought once again that this was not a good sign. But it didn't matter.   
As he was about to let go, a hand held him back. Burning fingers clenched on his own. The weight holding on him disappeared as the current around him grew stronger. His blind eyes reflected the image of an archangel back to him. An archangel dressed in black, his features crossed by a scar that he recognized immediately. He smiled. 

\- Ren. 

\- Armie. Shhh. I'm over here. I'm over here. 

\- I'm cold, he croaked. 

\- It's alright, it's okay. It's okay. 

A warm cloth wrapped him gently. It carried the scent of Kylo. Armitage let himself be carried away by a feeling of returning home. It was suddenly warm. Life was returning to him. He closed his eyes when the knight's arms lifted him up. 

\- Sleep. I'll take care of you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE ARE 1K!! ♥ Thank youuu so much! 
> 
> The next chapter is the last (already...) and will be released next wednesday :D   
> I will also announce my next writing project so stay tuned!   
> Have a nice week and stay safe ♥ 
> 
> PS. Don't hesitate to share your feelings about this story in the comments! I'm also on tumblr, @kdarticho.


	10. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren found Armitage. Many changes are coming in both of their lives...

Hux opened his eyes when he heard Kylo move beside him. 

\- Stay there, he said in a soft voice. 

\- I'm better, the ginger grunted. 

\- You'll get better when I've decided to, replied her lover with a kiss on his forehead. 

The former general smiled. 

\- You're the worst doctor. 

\- You know very well that I'm not, Kylo gently scolded as he stood up. 

Several months had passed since the attack on Eriadu. Hux had no recollection of what had happened immediately afterwards. As he approached the planet, the knight had let himself be guided by the Force to land in the right place. There, the forces of the Resistance had finally overwhelmed those of the First Order and had taken over the place. Kylo ruthlessly eliminated all those who came between him and the former general, before finally finding him again. He had had to steal a ship a little larger than the Silencer, so he could transport them both. And find a new planet, lost enough not to draw attention to them while the General recovered from his wounds. He chose Arkanis. No one was willingly going to Arkanis... 

Obviously, he had used his healing power to at least stabilize Armitage during the journey. And afterwards, to free him from his pain. But most of the wounds were too deep, or too extensive. Healing them was long and tiring. It had taken time, but Hux was better now. 

Only one scar remained, barring his eyes; a scar left by a piece of burning metal, thrown off by the explosion. Despite all his efforts, Kylo hadn't found a way to restore his sight. Each attempt had drained him of his energy, without result. He had nevertheless promised his lover that one day, he would manage to cure him completely. In the meantime, Armitage was slowly learning to live in the dark. Sometimes the flow of energy around him, which he was now fully aware of - the Force, as Kylo called it, allowed him to see the contours of what was around him. Learning to master this energy was exhausting, but the challenge had kept him going. He had the hope of being able to see through it again. 

The situation in the Galaxy had also changed significantly in recent months. The rumors he had heard about Eriadu had proved true. After its resounding victory over Starkiller, the Resistance had demonstrated its ability to fight the First Order. Support for the Resistance had been widespread. While Hux worked to raise the First Order, and then during his forced exile, the Resistance had grown in strength. They had planned several raids on the vital points of the enemy army. Eriadu was one of them. 

Faced with so many coordinated attacks, the First Order's command had struggled to keep up. In the absence of orders from their supreme leader, meanwhile destroyed by Kylo Ren, the fleet had split. On one side, the old imperials; on the other, the new generation of officers. Disorganized, their combat formations, although mostly better equipped than those of the Resistance, had lost all their effectiveness. General Organa's troops had retaken many planets, encouraging the last worlds under the yoke of the First Order to abandon their cause. 

The _Finalizer_ had been lost in one of these battles. True to their decision to sacrifice everything for the First Order, Phasma and Mitaka, along with many others, had perished with their ship. The organization that was supposed to revive the Empire from its ashes was now limited to a few pockets that the Resistance would soon have destroyed. 

Even though his vision of the First Order had changed since his departure, seeing what he had dedicated his life to be wiped out in such a short time had hurt Hux. Now he preferred to detach himself from all of this. True, the Order had subjugated planets, exploited populations, killed innocent people. But the Resistance was no better. He'd seen both. He had seen how their troops had taken over the construction sites of Eriadu, firing on sight without bothering to shoot people who hadn't asked to be there. In any case, no one would come here to bother them. The Resistance, the Republic, the First Order... in any case, the Outer Rim remained on the sidelines of major political decisions. No one really cared about what went on there, except for the resource-rich planets. Arkanis didn't. Nobody paid attention to them here, and that was fine. 

From General of the First Order, Destroyer of Worlds, Herald of the Apocalypse, Armitage Hux had once again become a simple Arkanisian. Sensitive to the Force, certainly, but blind, and happy to find the calm of his native planet. Kylo Ren, as for him, had definitively left the helmet hiding his face, as well as his title of Master of the Knights of Ren, and that of Supreme Leader, to become a healer in the village on the edge of which they had settled. However, he had refused to return to his former identity. Ben Solo had been dead too long. 

Through the open window, Armitage felt a fresh wind caressing his face, bringing with it the smell of earth, rain, and peace. He smiled. This new day was beginning well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END
> 
> I'm so sorry for the delay T-T This week has been shorter than expected... the end of our quarantine is near, and I had to plan a lot of things... I'm moving out next week, and I'll be able to start my last-year internship! Which means, long phone calls with the estate agency, the company, etc etc
> 
> Anyway here is the last piece of this story... I hope you liked it! Last chance to express yourself in the comments ;)   
> Thank you again to all of you, who read this! We reached 1k readers, it's awesome ♥ thank you also to my dear friend Riza, who encouraged me to finish this story after four years. 
> 
> And now... my next big fanfic project is to rewrite my own version of TROS. I loved the movie, but I was a bit frustrated by some decisions made by Lucasfilm, and after two years building my own theories, I decided I should do something about it! It will take place after TFA and TLJ (I kept TLJ because it would have been so complicated to rewrite it too xD) I currently have 13 complete chapters in French, and as always I'll work on the translation when I begin posting them here. Stay tuned! 
> 
> See you soon ♥
> 
> lesetoilesnemeurentjamais

**Author's Note:**

> And the first chapter is complete ;) Hope you liked it! Don't hesitate to tell me what you likes/disliked in the comments.   
> See you soon for chapter 2!!


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